Bulletproof
by rexlover180
Summary: Lovino just wanted a simple life. To take care of his brother and get through high school. Sadly, the world has other plans for him as he gets forced through what he thought was only just a fairytale. PruMano based on Beauty and the Beast.
1. Chapter 1

_There is a classic story, one that everybody knows. It's a tale as old as time, true as it can be. Beauty and the Beast. How many people would see a creature that could only be classified as a beast and fall in love? One. That is the beauty of the story; the fact that it could only happen to the two of them. Only that one girl could have really, truly fallen in love with a monster like that._

_The story is all about going past what is skin deep to be able to see people for what they are, not what they look like. Beauty is only skin deep and even beauty can be misleading, hiding a monster underneath. This story can link to society easily, considering how quickly people fall into lust just by glancing at a person. Love is a lot harder to come by than lust._

_But we learn from this story that the skin deep does not matter and that we should care about everyone, no matter how much of a beast they seem to be. We are all beautiful, no matter what is on the outside._

_And that is bullshit._

Lovino sighed, glancing down at the stupid assignment he had gotten in English class. He wrote it last night in a matter of minutes. The assignment was to pick a Disney fairytale and describe it, explain how it relates to society, and write their opinions on it.

There was no doubt that Lovino would get in trouble for cursing in a paper he had to turn in, but it was his honest opinion. It was a stupid, old fashioned story. And the easiest one to do at the last minute.

"Lovi! Are you ready for school?" Lovino's brother, Feliciano, poked his head into Lovino's room.

"As I'll ever be," Lovino sighed, standing up from his desk after shoving the stupid paper into his backpack.

"I'm really excited for the English assignment today," Feliciano hummed happily.

Lovino just rolled his eyes. They were twins and, as the cliché goes, they were complete opposites. Lovino had brown hair with a slight red tint to it with a curl going out to the side he never tried to get control of and light brown eyes. Feliciano had reddish-brown hair with a curl himself on the other side and the same brown eyes. They were both Italian and proud of it. Lovino was usually rather harsh and standoffish towards others and was usually an outcast, preferring to sit in a library than talk with others. Feliciano, on the other hand, had a happy, bubbly personality and many friends that he would constantly be talking to.

"I did mine on the Little Mermaid," Feliciano chimed as Lovino followed him through their apartment. They lived alone and Lovino had to work part time in order for them to afford the majority of what they needed. Feliciano would do a few odd jobs and babysitting to other people in their complex, too. Their parents had died shortly after they were born, so they were raised by their grandfather. Sadly, he had recently died as well, leaving the two to live on their own. "What did you do yours on again?"

"Beauty and the Beast," Lovino sighed as the door was opened and he closed and locked it behind them. He did a mental check to ensure they really had everything they needed. They were both wearing their school uniform; blue plaid pants, white dress shirt, green tie, and blue jacket. It was definitely not something Lovino would chose to wear, but the World Academy had uniforms, so he wasn't going to fight it too much. They both had their backpacks, which he knew held their homework. And he knew Feliciano had his key, so everything was in order.

"I really love that story, too!" Feliciano gushed. "There are so many good Disney stories, it was so hard to choose just one!"

"Not really," Lovino stated as they started walking to school, which was just a short walk away from their apartment.

"I wonder what Ludwig did his on," Feliciano wondered, looking up in the sky.

"Why the hell do you care so much about that potato bastard?" Lovino grumbled. He never liked that damn German his brother hung around so much. The other friends were alright, except maybe Antonio(the annoying Spaniard that he was), but Ludwig really grated on his nerves.

"Well, he's really nice," Feliciano muttered, obviously oblivious to the fact that Lovino wanted that to be rhetorical. "And he protects me for the really scary people. And I don't want him to be alone, especially since his brother went missing…"

"The other one was probably just like him," Lovino muttered darkly.

"Hm," Feliciano hummed as they walked along and Lovino was able to experience blissful quiet until Feliciano seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh! I heard that Alfredo was going to talk to you today!"

"What the hell does Alfred want with me?" Lovino raised an eyebrow.

"He didn't tell me," Feliciano shrugged. "But he seemed really excited about it."

"Yeah, well, he'll have to find me if he wants to talk," Lovino stated. "I'm not going out of my way for him."

"Okay! I'll be sure to tell him that!" Feliciano nodded happily.

"Go right ahead," Lovino sighed. They continued their idle talk until they made it to school and Antonio, as always, was the first one to greet them. He was a Senior, but was also held back longer than Lovino cared to know. Still, he didn't look too much older than the twins, who were Sophomores. He had chocolate brown hair and bright green eyes and always held this obnoxious smile that made Lovino want to punch him.

"Hola, Feli, Lovi!" he chimed.

"Hi," Lovino grumbled and swiftly continued past him and into the school. As usual, the two tried to get him to stay and hang out with them and even wait for Ludwig, but Lovino simply ignored them and made his way towards the Library. He would just stay in there until class started and then come back for lunch.

"Right on time," the librarian hummed and Lovino gave him a polite nod. He and the librarian got along rather well, considering all the time he spent in here. Lovino made his way to the fiction section and picked out one of his favorite books, one he'd read through three times already. He sat down at one of the tables and happily started reading.

He had made it to the part where the girl meets her prince charming, but she still didn't know it was him, when someone disturbed him.

"Found ya!" an obnoxious voice yelled proudly and the book was swiftly pulled out of Lovino's grip.

"You're in a fucking library, genius," Lovino snapped and stood up to try to get the book back, but Alfred kept it well above his reach. Alfred was a Junior, and an obnoxious jock that was way too full of himself. He had sandy blonde hair with an odd cowlick that stuck up straight and bright blue eyes. Currently, he was trying to give Lovino was of his "winning smiles." It wasn't working.

"Alfred, you should be a little quieter," a voice whispered behind him and Lovino noticed that they actually had a crowd. Right behind Alfred was…what's-his-face. No one bothered to remember his name, but he was always around Alfred, Lovino thought he was his brother, since they did look a lot alike. What's-his-face had the same color hair, though it was slightly longer and with his own curl that came out front and his blue eyes were hidden behind glasses. There were also a few cheerleaders that always followed Alfred around like a lost puppy.

"Why?" Alfred asked, glancing back at him.

"You've never actually been in a Library, have you?" Lovino deadpanned.

"So this is what that place looks like," Alfred nodded slowly before turning to Lovino. "Anyway, I have great news for you."

"You're going to give me my book back?" Lovino asked.

"What the hell do you want with this thing anyway?" Alfred laughed and flipped through the pages. "There's no pictures."

"Some people have this thing called an imagination, bastard," Lovino scoffed.

"Well, as for my terrific news," Alfred cleared his throat proudly, "I, the hero, have decided that you will be my boyfriend."

"No," Lovino stated, finally getting his book back as Alfred faltered slightly at the abrupt answer.

"Hey, I don't know if you heard me right," Alfred chuckled, obviously over his shock. "I said that you can be my boyfriend."

"And you didn't hear me right, fucktard," Lovino scoffed. "I said no."

"How could you just say no like that?" one of the cheerleaders had her hand up to her heart like she was about to faint.

"It's easy," Lovino sighed and decided he might as well put the book back on the shelf. Class was about to start, anyway, so he might as well start going to English.

"You don't even deserve him!" another cheerleader yelled and this time the librarian actually did shush the intruders in the peaceful atmosphere.

"Nah, it's alright," Alfred tried that "charming" smile of his once again. "I know you'll change your mind eventually."

"Whatever makes you happy," Lovino sighed and picked up his backpack before swiftly walking down the hallway just as the bell rang. He easily wormed his way through the crowd and wound up being one of the first people in the classroom.

He sat down in his desk and watched as people filed in; Feliciano, Antonio, Ludwig, and even Alfred were among them. Once class started, the teacher had a couple people read their papers and then they turned their papers in. Class remained uneventful, save for Alfred trying to pass notes to Lovino, who simply crumped up the pieces of paper and waited to toss them in the trash.

Eventually, and thankfully, the period ended and Lovino made his way into the crowded halls before Alfred could try anything. He made an effort to get lost, but the people around him easily recognized him.

"That's the guy Alfred's trying to get?" a few girls gossiped (very loudly) behind Lovino as he walked.

"I don't get it, he's so weird."

"Doesn't he go to the Library during lunch?"

"Why?"

"You know," Lovino said loudly, swiftly turning around in front of the small group of girls, who looked very startled, "he also has fucking ears. That can hear."

The girls blushed and immediately walked away in the same direction. Lovino let out a groan and turned around to continue on his way to whatever class he had next, but he soon found Alfred standing in front of him.

"No," Lovino stated when Alfred opened his mouth to talk.

"Why not? Give me one good reason," Alfred crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're obnoxious, conceded, a pain in the ass to everyone, loud, horrible to be around," the late bell rang above them and Lovino let out a sigh, "and you've made me late to class."

"Ouch?" Alfred muttered as Lovino started walking around him, but he quickly stepped back in front of him. "What will it take for me to get you to say yes?"

"If you could actually impress me enough for that, it would have to be a fucking miracle," Lovino finally brushed past him. "Bastard…"

"Impress you! Alright!" Alfred called to him and Lovino just rolled his eyes, going to his next class.

* * *

A man sat on a couch, watching some stupid, pointless show drone on and on and on about nothing. It was all pointless anyway. In his hand was a bottle of beer, something he drank from greedily, as if it would supply him life. There were many bottles around him, all of them empty.

"Why are you watching this, mon ami?" someone came behind the man to watch the show with him.

"Because it's distracting," the man grumbled, finishing up the last bit of the beer in his hand.

"You know as well as I do that it is wrong," the second man sighed.

"That's why it distracts me," the first man stated, watching as the stupid, pale kid started having a make out session with the girl. The first man gripped onto the empty bottle in irritation. This show was complete and utter bullshit; a girl would never fall for something like that. Before long, the bottle in his hand shattered, but the man didn't even wince as shards of glass pierced his skin.

"Let me help you clean that up," the second man sighed and moved in front of the first man, picking up a few of the shards that fell onto the ground.

"I'm thirsty," the first man muttered, looking at his hand. The glass stuck out jaggedly, but not a single drop of blood was shed. He pulled out one of the pieces of glass, feeling no pain.

"I'll get Antoine to get you more beer," the second man stated.

"That means we're out?" the first man ripped out several more shards with a single swipe.

"Sadly, oui," the second man sighed, content with the amount of glass he had picked up.

"Then I need food," the first man swiftly stood up, ripping out the last of the shards.

"It's getting worse, is it not?" the second man stood up as well and followed the first man out of the room.

"The five years is almost up," the first man ran his perfectly clean hand through his hair. "And there's no way I can fix it. At this point, it can _only_ get worse."

* * *

**It's so weird having Alfred as the "villain" considering he's supposed to be the hero and all… But I guess I'll get over it. Anyway, this story is dedicated to my friend, just because I'm nice. I tried writing her a Prumano a while ago (this is her OTP) and it failed miserably, so this is my second shot at it. Hope you like it, Vikki!**

**Also, I'm curious, if anyone can guess what makes Gilbert a "beast" before it's revealed (in Chapter 3 or 4, I'd say) I think I'm gonna give you a Hetalia one-shot. The little end section was him, if you were curious. And you have to guess specifically, not a generic answer like "monster" or something.**

**And my updates for this will be rather slow in comparison to my usual. I'm writing five stories at once right now, so please bear with me and be patient.**

**Please review! It is very lovely and I would love to know how I'm doing!**

**And I do not own Hetalia or Beauty and the Beast. I highly doubt a teenager like me could actually pull off owning something big like that.**


	2. Chapter 2

Lovino leaned against the wall of the school, waiting for his brother to come out so that they could walk home. Usually, Feliciano would be obnoxiously social after school and talk to all of his friends, but Lovino usually was never part of that, unless his brother could actually drag Lovino around with him. Which happened once. But Lovino learned from that experience and learned to never walk down that hall at the end of the school day.

Multiple people shuffled past, all of them eager to leave school to continue on with their lives. A few of them recognized Lovino, but as the guy that Alfred was after. Quite a few talked about how they were confused about why he chose Lovino. He was just so "weird."

"Ciao, fratello!" Feliciano chimed behind him and Lovino let out a relieved sigh.

"Took you long enough," Lovino stated and glanced over at his brother, but scowled when he saw who was with him. "What the fuck is the potato bastard doing with you?"

"Nice to see you, too, Lovino," Ludwig politely nodded to him, but Lovino just glared back at him.

"Well…" Feliciano balled his hand together and looked away from Lovino.

"Feliciano," Lovino glared at him.

"We're doing a class project and we have to go to the museum tonight and I wanted to go with Ludwig, is that okay with you?" Feliciano spilled the words out quickly, as if he expected Lovino to just say no. Lovino blinked and looked at the two. Feliciano looked very hopeful, but there was something in his eyes that told Lovino he was expecting a negative answer. Ludwig just looked irritatingly passive, as usual. Lovino sighed, the museum was fairly far away, and he knew Ludwig didn't have a car, which meant that they would have to walk and Feliciano said it would be at night. On top of it all, Lovino didn't trust Ludwig at all. Though…(and he would never say this out loud)Ludwig was strong and Feliciano would probably be fairly safe in his care.

"Fine," Lovino reluctantly sighed and Feliciano's eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth opened, probably to say thanks, but Lovino cut him off. "But! You're coming home with me first, got it?"

"Si! Si!" Feliciano nodded happily and pulled Lovino into a tight hug. "Grazi, fratello! Grazi!"

"Yeah, yeah, get the hell off me," Lovino sighed and managed to push his brother away. He turned to Ludwig. "You, don't follow us, I don't want you knowing where we live and poisoning us with potatoes."

"I wouldn't-" Ludwig was cut off by Feliciano.

"It's okay! I'll meet you back here at 7, okay?" Feliciano asked happily.

"Ja, okay, Feli," Ludwig sighed and Lovino narrowed his eyes. Since when did he call Feliciano "Feli?" He thought that was just Antonio. Feliciano gave Ludwig a quick hug, leading Lovino to scoff and roll his eyes before he started walking, knowing his brother would follow.

"Ciao!" Feliciano called back to Ludwig before following Lovino close behind. "Thank you so much, fratello!"

"You better get home before long," Lovino stated. "If I hear the potato bastard let anything happen to you, I'm going to kick his ass."

"Okay, whatever you say," Feliciano giggled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lovino snapped.

"Nothing!" Feliciano put his hands in front of his body in surrender. Lovino guessed it was because he didn't want Lovino to not let him go do that project he had to do or whatever that was. They walked in silence for a little while before Lovino started the conversation again.

"Do you think I'm weird?" Lovino asked.

"Hm? Weird? No," Feliciano shook his head. "I think you're perfect, fratello!"

"Well, that makes one person," Lovino sighed.

"What about Alfredo?" Feliciano cocked his head to the side. "He really likes you."

"And he's an obnoxious asshole," Lovino scoffed. "There's no way I'd be interested in him."

"Well, we had no idea he was gay until he told us that he liked you," Feliciano stated.

"Who the hell is 'we'?" Lovino turned to him as they entered the apartment complex.

"You know, Antonio, Ludwig, Kiku, those people," Feliciano supplied.

"And I'm sure you're the one who told him I was gay," Lovino sighed.

"Maybe…" Feliciano muttered. "But he just kept on talking about you! It would have been mean of me to not tell him!"

"God forbid you're actually mean," Lovino shook his head and pulled out the key from his pocket.

"Are you going to give him a chance?" Feliciano asked curiously as they walked up to the door to their apartment.

"He hasn't given me any reason to," Lovino stated, unlocked the door and walking in before Feliciano.

"So, what do you want him to do, then?" Feliciano asked.

"I don't know, be less obnoxious?" Lovino sighed. "Be less…him?"

"So you just don't like him?" Feliciano asked.

"Basically," Lovino slumped on the couch before pulling out his homework for that night. "You should get your homework done before you leave."

"Yes, sir!" Feliciano nodded happily and sat down next to him.

Going to the museum with Ludwig seemed to be good incentive to get him going on his homework, because he was finished before Lovino even was. It was just a few minutes until seven and Feliciano was bouncing around happily.

"I will go with you," Lovino sighed and moved to stand up.

"Oh, you don't have to," Feliciano chimed, standing up and getting a few things together into a small bag. "I can get their easily."

"It's getting dark," Lovino stated and stood up.

"But then you'll be walking back alone in the dark," Feliciano said. "It's fine, I have Ludwig waiting for me!"

"That's not reassuring," Lovino glared at him.

"You have to trust me, Lovi!" Feliciano pleaded with those puppy dog eyes that could make anyone melt. Even Lovino.

"Fine," Lovino sighed through gritted teeth.

"Grazi!" Feliciano gave him a big hug before going to the door.

"Don't be out later than 10," Lovino sighed as Feliciano flung the door open.

"Yes, sir!" Feliciano said happily before closing the door.

Lovino let out a sigh, getting himself comfortable in the couch again. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep worth a damn until Feliciano came back home safely. If he found a single scratch on him, Ludwig was going to pay.

* * *

Antonio let out a sigh, lugging the cases of beer with him as he moved easily through the massive house. I knew it so well after all this time.

"Antoine!" Francis chimed, coming up to him and looping an arm over his shoulders. "We've been waiting for you!"

"I take it Gil's been irritable without his beer?" Antonio asked.

"Very," Francis slumped slightly, releasing him. "You have no idea how hard I have had to work at cooking for him. And he expects things in a second!"

"Good thing I got him a lot of beer," Antonio chuckled, motioning to the cases in his hands. There were four of them, two in each hand. "This should last him until at least tomorrow."

"He is getting steadily worse as the deadline is growing closer," Francis let out a sigh. "I am afraid he may snap and we could really lose him."

"Maybe some news on Ludwig could cheer him up," Antonio shrugged. It was getting harder and harder to keep Gilbert happy nowadays. At least, happy enough to not want to rip people's heads off. "He's close to getting that boyfriend I've been telling you about."

"Love may be a touchy subject," Francis sighed and they stopped in front of the door that lead to the room where Gilbert had set up his TV. It was where he could always be found.

"Then we talk about Ludwig's guns and good grades," Antonio chuckled, shaking his head before walking in. He sighed when he found Gilbert watching his usual show. "I've been told you've drunk all the beer I got you last weekend."

"Yup," Gilbert held up a hand. "Now gimme."

"The people at the liquor stores know me by name now, you know," Antonio laughed and placed two of the cases in Gilbert's hand. He easily placed them next to him and quickly pulled out one and drinking it completely in just a few seconds. "Either they think I'm an alcoholic or I have a lot of parties."

"Who gives a shit what they think?" Gilbert sighed, drinking another one. He went through them like he was dying of thirst and Antonio set the other two down on Gilbert's other side.

"Yeah, I've already repeated Senior year five times for you," Antonio leaned over the couch to watch the show. "Ludwig's doing good, if you were curious."

"Has he stopped trying to look for me yet?" Gilbert sighed.

"Nope," Antonio shook his head. "Would you stop if he went missing?"

"Nein…" Gilbert stopped drinking and looked down at the half-empty bottle of beer in his hand. "He needs a distraction…What was that boyfriend thing you two were talking about in the hallway?"

"Your hearing has gotten better," Francis chuckled.

"Ja, it has," Gilbert nodded. "Boyfriend? I didn't' know West was gay."

"It's this hyper kid, you'd never have known him," Antonio muttered. "He seems to make your brother really happy. He's the most expressive I've ever seen him in a while."

"Gut," Gilbert nodded slowly, finishing the last of the bottle before tossing it onto the ground and staring at the TV. "This stupid show would be so different if they actually knew the truth…"

"So, you've really given up, have you?" Francis asked.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded.

"You could at least try falling in love before the time runs out," Antonio sighed. "For us?"

"How the hell can I?" Gilbert snapped. "I can't even leave this house, even if I want to."

"You have me for a reason," Antonio chimed. "There are plenty of guys and girls that could be interested in you."

"Like hell," Gilbert grumbled. "What do you plan to do, anyway? Kidnap them and see if they like me?"

"Well, if you are going to be negative about it," Francis shrugged.

"There's nothing even appealing about me anyway," Gilbert sighed. "There'd be no point."

"Hey, what happened to the guy I knew a couple years ago that said awesome in every sentence?" Antonio nudged him slightly. "The guy that would never back down from a challenge, even if he was outmatched, and always come out on top?"

"He died," Gilbert said bluntly. "He's not coming back."

"It's only because you're not letting him," Antonio sighed and turned to leave.

"We should get Elizaveta in here," Francis laughed. "Give him a good whack in the head."

"Do that and you're dead," Gilbert threatened and the two knew that it wasn't a warning.

"I have to leave," Antonio sighed as they left Francis closed the door behind them. "Alfred is going to try to surprise Lovi and get him to be his boyfriend, and I apparently have to be there."

"I will tell you if we need any more beer while you are gone," Francis patted his shoulder. "You are lucky, you got to have a life."

"I'm also the errand boy," Antonio nodded to him and quickly started for the front door.

* * *

**Gilbert's so depressing now, but luckily I've got a nice, sad Adele song in the background to put me in the mood. Don't worry, he gets better, but right now he's in a bit of a slump. Five years, after all…that's a bit rough. And Lovino is so much fun, I don't know why I don't write him more often. I don't know his full depth as well as my friend I'm writing this for, but I hope to be doing him justice!**

**Also, someone already got what makes Gil a "beast" pretty spot on. So congrats Joni Smith! I'll get to your one-shot soon!**

**Please review! It's totally freaking awesome!**


	3. Chapter 3

Lovino had just about fallen asleep on the couch when he heard a rough knock at the door. Lovino let out a groan, glancing at the time on the clock on the wall. It looked like it was about the time when Feliciano would be back home, but he wouldn't knock like that. Neither would the potato bastard.

He very much regretted that they didn't have a peep hole on the door, but they did have a chain that would make sure someone unwanted couldn't come in. When he opened the door and looked through the crack, he found Alfred looking happily at him with several people behind him.

"Go away," Lovino snapped and tried to slam the door shut, but Alfred's foot got in the way.

"Come on, you'd turn away guests like that?" Alfred pouted on the other side.

"Yes," Lovino stated and tried once again to slam the door, but Alfred's foot wouldn't budge.

"Jeez, you're strong," Alfred chuckled slightly and used one hand to keep the door open.

"How the hell do you know where I live?" Lovino snapped.

"Feli told us," Antonio's voice chimed from the crowd and Lovino let out a groan.

"Do you know how fucking late it is?" Lovino glared at Alfred.

"Not really," Alfred shook his head. "It's only, like, 9."

"And I happen to like my sleep," Lovino stated.

"But aren't ya gonna stay up until Feli gets back?" Alfred tried.

"That doesn't mean I need someone to wait with me," Lovino snapped. "What the hell did you bring all these people here for?"

"It'll be a little party!" Alfred chimed happily.

"No," Lovino deadpanned.

"Wow, what kind of host are you?" Alfred sighed theatrically. "Turning away your guests like this?"

"I don't give a shit," Lovino sighed. "You aren't getting in so you better just leave."

"Hey, shouldn't Feli be back by now?" Antonio mused.

"He probably just got distracted by something," Lovino shrugged, trying not to let it show that it bothered him his brother actually was running late. "Or that potato bastard tried something."

"We can just keep you company until he comes back, alright?" Alfred tried.

"I said no," Lovino snapped.

"Que? I have a new voicemail…" Antonio muttered.

"Go away," Lovino tried to push against the door, but Alfred was keeping it solidly in place.

"Just for a couple minutes?" Alfred begged. "Until Feli gets home?"

"Lovino," Antonio mumbled, his voice oddly quiet.

"What?" Lovino snapped.

"You have to listen to this message," Antonio stated. Lovino got a good look at him through the crack in the door and he looked…pale.

"Why?" Lovino asked.

"I-It's Feli," Antonio stated and Lovino wasted no time getting the door open.

"Give it," Lovino held out his hand, ignoring Alfred carelessly waltzing into his apartment. Antonio numbly nodded and handed the device over. Lovino pressed it to his ear to hear a computer's voice.

"_If you would like to delete this message, press one_," Lovino let out a groan. If this was just some trick to get Alfred inside, he would kill this damn Spaniard. "_If you would like to repeat this message, press two._" Lovino swiftly pressed the number two button. Neither he nor Feliciano had phones, so he knew Feliciano had to use a payphone, which would be weird considering he never usually tried to get a hold of someone on his own.

"Antonio!" Feliciano's panicked voice came through and Lovino felt his heart stop. This was serious. Feliciano was actually scared…Not like when he was intimidated, but he was actually…terrified. "S-Some people came out of nowhere and they attacked me and Luddie! A-And he tried to get them to back off, but there were too many!" Feliciano was crying now in his panic. He was talking so quickly, Lovino had to pay attention to keep up. "He told me to run, so I did! Ah! I see one of them! Th-There's a house close by, I'm going in there! Tell Lovi-" The line cut out.

"F…Feliciano," Lovino's grip on the phone tightened.

"Hey, come on, Lovino," Alfred tried to pull Lovino back into the apartment.

"Get the fuck out of my apartment," Lovino demanded, sending a glare at Alfred, who stumbled back in surprise.

"Wh-what happened with that phone call?" Alfred asked.

"Something's happened to Feli," Antonio bit his lip.

"I'm going to find him," Lovino stated, quickly going inside to get a jacket. "Out. Now!" He yelled at the others in the apartment and they all quickly shuffled out.

"You can't go alone," Antonio pressed. "This city's huge and those men could still be there!"

"Anyone mind filling me in?" Alfred asked.

"I don't care!" Lovino yelled at Antonio. "My fratello is out there, terrified and possibly hurt! I'm going to find him!"

"Then let me go with you!" Antonio yelled back.

"I'm going, too!" Alfred chimed in. "Something happened to Feli, and I'm gonna help you."

"Whatever," Lovino started down the street. "Just…find a phone booth and then some safe looking house, alright?"

"Si!" Antonio saluted and started off in some direction.

"Yup!" Alfred nodded and started in another, a small group of cheerleaders following him.

Lovino started in another direction, running. If anything bad happened to Feliciano, first he would curse that damn potato bastard and all those men to hell for eternity…and he would never be able to forgive himself. He was the idiot that let his brother go.

He couldn't have another family member die…

* * *

Someone was in the mansion. Gilbert knew the second they stepped in and started making noise. He was used to all the people that were already in the mansion, but this new person made him go stiff. He could hear them clearly without moving from the TV room.

"You must be cold, monsieur," Francis said in a pitiful tone.

"Th-They're chasing after me!" the new kid's voice squeaked. He sounded pathetic.

"You're alright in here, lad," Arthur said reassuringly. Gilbert snorted. The kid wouldn't be alright here, there were monsters around.

"G-Grazi," the kid muttered.

"Let us get you to the fire," Francis stated and Gilbert could hear them walk quickly across the floor. Growing slightly irritable, Gilbert got up, taking a bottle of beer with him as he silently left the room.

"I-I won't be a bother," the kid stated. "I'll just wait around until morning and then I'll leave. My brother's probably worried."

"That is fine," Arthur sighed. "And I'm sure your brother will understand."

"Maybe," the kid mumbled. Gilbert had managed to go into the room of this stupid mansion that held the fireplace and was able to stick to the shadows so that they couldn't see him. The kid was sitting on the rug in front of the fire place with a blanket wrapped firmly around him. He was shaking, but Gilbert could tell it wasn't from the cold. He was terrified. Something outside must have spooked him.

Arthur and Francis were cooing over the kid like he was some amazing creature and even Elizaveta came rushing in with some tea.

"I couldn't help but overhear," Elizaveta said softly, giving the kid a cup of steaming tea that he took happily. Gilbert had to keep himself from gagging. "This'll warm you right up."

"Grazi," the kid nodded, obviously growing more comfortable, which was making Gilbert's skin crawl. This kid couldn't stay around, it would drive him insane.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gilbert snapped at the group, finally coming out of the shadows. Everyone jumped and the three Gilbert knew turned towards him with apologetic looks on their faces.

"I-I'm really sorry," the kid stumbled and quickly got up, turning around to look at Gilbert, but froze in fear at him, just like Gilbert expected him to.

"You're trespassing," Gilbert growled at him.

"He was invited, mon ami," Francis said carefully. Gilbert knew he was scared of him, too. At first, the idea of having his best friend terrified of him made him sick, but now he couldn't have cared less.

"Not by me," Gilbert snapped. "Which makes it trespassing."

"I'm really sorry," the kid muttered, fear welling up in his eyes in the form of tears. "I can go and-"

"There's no way in hell you're leaving after you've seen me," Gilbert was quickly in front of the poor, shivering boy. He was terrified. Good.

"W-wait…" the kid quickly looked him up and down. "I…I know you. Aren't you Ludwig's lost brother?"

"Don't you even dare saying my brother's name around me!" Gilbert roared, grabbing the kid up by his neck. The kid nearly vibrated, he was shaking so badly.

"Gilbert, don't kill him," Arthur stated behind him and Gilbert let out a growl that almost seemed inhuman. He was getting worse…so much worse. He couldn't even control his anger anymore. Gilbert gritted his teeth and set the kid down.

"You're still not going anywhere," Gilbert gave him a harsh glare and easily gripped onto the collar of the poor kid's shirt and dragged him out of the room. The kid yelped, but other than that, said nothing. The other three followed them close behind.

"I-I'm really sorry!" the kid choked out. "I'll do anything, just please don't hurt me!"

Gilbert balled his free hand into a tight fist, probably enough for the nails to break skin, but he didn't care. He didn't take any joy in hurting people, but it just happened out of his own control. He'd hurt pretty much everyone who lived in this mansion without his own consent. It happened more and more as that damn deadline got closer and closer. Gilbert couldn't help but wonder what would happen when his time was up.

The kid continued to beg as Gilbert tried not to snap as he brought him down to the basement. There was a cell down there, but Gilbert had a sinking feeling the witch put it there for him. Trying not to think or listen to the kid, Gilbert opened the door to the cell and tossed the kid inside before slamming it shut.

Gilbert quickly got away, using his speed to his advantage, and he was back in the TV room in seconds. He quickly gripped onto his head, leaning heavily against the wall. He couldn't believe he almost…He was so close to losing control, he could feel it.

"Gilbert," Francis came into the room and Gilbert tensed slightly. "You cannot just leave the poor kid down there."

"I can't let him go!" Gilbert snapped, looking up at him. "He's seen me. And he knows my brother. He could tell him…"

"What is the harm in that?" Francis asked.

"It's better he thinks I'm missing and dead," Gilbert dropped his hands and felt like dropping to the ground. "I don't want him knowing that I'm this fucking monster that can't even control his anger."

"You were never good at controlling your anger before, either," Francis sighed.

"The kid'll just stay here like the rest of us," Gilbert sighed and he actually did drop onto the ground.

"Except he won't live forever," Francis knelt down in front of him. "And he had a life."

"So did we," Gilbert muttered. "Life's just a bitch like that."

"You cannot just-"

"Shut up," Gilbert perked up slightly. There was someone else close to the castle and it definitely wasn't Antonio.

"Non, you need to-"

"I said shut up," Gilbert snapped and stood up.

"Is there someone else?" Francis asked.

"Maybe he'll get to see his brother again, after all."

* * *

**Gilbert has some major issues he needs to deal with…Also, people have been making guesses on who the witch is, but I actually don't have a certain character in mind. So it can be whoever you think fits that isn't already a character. I would have Artie, but he's so classically Cogsworth I can't make him anyone else. Anywho, they're getting close to meeting now, it's so exciting!**

**Please review! I love every one of them!**


	4. Chapter 4

Lovino rubbed at his arms, trying to get himself warm. It wasn't exactly cold this time of year, but at night it could get pretty cold. And he was just in his school uniform because he'd yet to change out of it. He stopped walking when he got to yet another telephone booth. He looked around at his surroundings and found a few close by houses. Every time he would knock at the door and ask if his brother was around, but every answer was no.

Letting out a sigh, Lovino leaned against the glass of the booth as he looked around. He stopped when he saw what looked like a mansion. It was very out of place with the suburbs around it. They were also pretty close to the city as well. Lovino bit his lip, Feliciano might have gone in there. Readying himself to talk to another home owner, Lovino quickly walked up to the door and knocked heavily on the massive wood.

Surprisingly, the wood creaked open, revealing a massive walk way.

"Hello?" Lovino called into the darkness around him.

"There's another one?" a voice whispered, but the sound seemed to echo in this massive place.

"Hello?" Lovino called out again, walking a little further in. "I'm looking for my brother!"

"He has to leave," came another whisper, this one more vicious. "He'll kill us if he finds another one in here. And I'm not exaggerating."

"It's his brother."

"Are you going to come out?" Lovino yelled out.

"He's already loud enough. I'm surprised Gilbert hasn't come down yet."

"He might be expecting us to get rid of him."

"Look, if you're so ready to get rid of me, I just want to know if you've seen my brother," Lovino stated.

"We aren't even sure if the kid is his brother."

"Please, look at him!"

"Can you even fucking hear me?" Lovino groaned.

"We can just lead him there and he won't find out."

"He'll find out. He hears everything right now, remember?"

"Is my brother really here?" Lovino asked, feeling some small hope rising in his chest. "He's short, reddish hair, a stupid curl like mine. Really happy all the time."

"Oui, he's here!"

"Francis!"

"I have to find him," Lovino begged. "Please. He's all I have left, alright?"

"Have a heart, Arthur."

"You can deal with it. I'm not going to be anywhere near Gilbert when he snaps at this one."

"Fine. Just follow my voice, mon cher!"

Lovino bit his lip. He wasn't quite sure how much he could trust these voices in the dark, considering the way they were talking. A part of him was screaming at him to get the fuck out of there before something bad happened. But Feliciano could be in there and he had to find him, no matter what.

"Fine," Lovino muttered and walked towards where it sounded like the voice was coming from. He slowly moved across the carpeted floor. There were a few lights on, scattered around the place, but they didn't do much for Lovino's sight.

"You must care a lot for your frère," the voice stated, helping Lovino through the strange castle. "Going into some strange mansion."

"He's my brother, of course I would," Lovino sighed. It wasn't much warmer in this mansion than it was outside, he noticed as he rubbed his hands together.

"I must warn you, you two will have to leave quickly," the voice warned. "Let us just say that the master of the house isn't very friendly."

"No problem," Lovino muttered. He was going to leave this creepy place as soon as he could.

"There are stairs ahead, so look out," the voice warned and it got even colder. Lovino could vaguely see the steps and walked down them. He nearly stopped in his tracks when he heard crying. That sounded just like Feliciano.

"Feliciano," Lovino muttered and started running down the stairs. Whoever was helping him quickly moved out of the way as Lovino hurried down to what looked like a dark dungeon. There was a cell with a wooden door and bars on a small window, which was emitting the sounds of Feliciano's crying. "Feliciano!"

"Lovino?" Feliciano's voice broke and he started crying even harder. "Y-you found me…You have to leave!"

"I can't just leave you, you idiot!" Lovino snapped.

"But…that man's really mean and really scary and…" Feliciano tried breathing deeply to calm himself down, but it obviously wasn't working.

"It's okay, fratello," Lovino sighed, looking around for something like a key that would open up this place. "I'm going to get you out of here and we're gonna leave, alright?"

"But you don't understand," Feliciano whimpered. "He probably knows you're here right now. He might even kill you. He's a-"

"What did I tell you?" a new voice snapped and Feliciano quickly shut up. Lovino quickly tried to find this new voice, but something gripped onto his neck and slammed him against the wall behind him. Lovino yelled out in pain after his head slammed against brick. He was thankful the grip wasn't tight enough to start constricting air, but he was still being held off the ground. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I'm here for my fucking brother," Lovino snapped back. He couldn't see the man in front of him very clearly due to the darkness, but just by being around him, he got a very bad feeling in his gut.

"You're better off leaving him for dead," the man growled and Lovino glared at him.

"There's no way I'm doing that, bastard," Lovino spat at him.

"He was trespassing, he deserves everything he's getting," the man stated. "I suggest you leave before I kill you."

"How about this?" Lovino gritted his teeth. "I stay here and you let him go."

"Why the hell would I agree to that?" the man asked and Lovino felt the grip get slightly tighter.

"I'm trespassing, right?" Lovino tried. "We're equally pissing you off."

"Lovino, no," Feliciano muttered.

"You would really take his place?" the man softened slightly, but his grip remained ever present.

"He's my brother," Lovino stated. "Of course I would."

"Fine," the man stated. "But your brother has to promise to never speak of this place. If I hear he's spoken one word, I will kill him."

"Lovino, don't!" Feliciano begged. "You should go! Not me!"

"Feliciano, promise," Lovino stated as he was set down so that his feet could touch the ground.

"No! I won't let you do this!" Feliciano yelled.

"I'm not going to let you stay here!" Lovino snapped back at him.

"I'm getting sick of this," the man stated. "Either you agree or I'll kill him right here."

"No," Feliciano whined and the grip tightened once again on Lovino's neck.

"Feliciano, come on," Lovino tried.

"But…" Feliciano muttered.

"Dammit, Feli!" Lovino yelled. "Just do it! I'll be fine!"

"Alright," Feliciano sniffled. "I-I promise."

"Gut," the man nodded and easily threw open the door after slamming in some key. He quickly yanked out Feliciano, who was obviously sobbing and tossed Lovino in without a care of what happened to him. Lovino felt his head hit the ground hard and gasped in pain.

"Lovi!" Feliciano called out, but his voice was far away.

"Wait! No!" Lovino scrambled up to his feet, but it was too late. The door was closed. He didn't get a chance to say goodbye… "Caio…fratello…"

Lovino honestly felt like crying and…fuck it, no one was there. So he slumped onto the ground and let tears roll out as choked sobs followed them close behind. He just lost his brother…his freedom…his life, probably… And whoever the hell this maniac was in charge of this house…he probably wasn't going to go easy on Lovino.

"Man up," the man stated and the door was quickly opened. Lovino immediately looked up at him. There was a small window in the cell and there was a patch of moonlight shining through just in front of the man.

"You didn't fucking let me say goodbye, retard!" Lovino snapped at him.

"I got enough of your brother's pathetic tears," the man scoffed. "Suck it up."

"You know, the least you could do is show yourself to your prisoner," Lovino sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. Holding back tears would be rather hard and he wasn't quite sure how long he could last. Then again, eventually he should become numb enough to it.

"Your brother freaked out when he saw me," the man said smugly. "You sure you wanna try that?"

"I have nothing else to look forward to," Lovino muttered.

"Fine, you asked for it," the man said and took a step into the moonlight. Lovino felt his eyes widen at the sight of him. He was extremely pale and his hair seemed to be pure white. His eyes glared at him with an intense red that seemed to be almost on fire. He was dressed in all black and didn't look comfortable at all. "Welcome," he smiled, revealing two massive canines that made Lovino think only one thing. "To my humble abode."

"You're a…" Lovino was at a loss for words.

"Yeah, I'm a fucking vampire," the man snapped and Lovino crawled backwards slightly until his back met with the wall behind him. "Just be thankful I don't find you appealing, otherwise you'd be long dead. And maybe your twig of a brother, too."

"Bastard," Lovino glared darkly at him.

"Careful what you say," the man glared right back at him, the fire in his eyes meant to burn Lovino. "I can easily change my mind." The man turned around to leave.

"Have fun being alone for the rest of your life," Lovino stated and the man bristled before slamming the door shut.

"You, too," the man stated and Lovino heard footsteps leading away.

Lovino let out a long, shaky sigh. So that was why Feliciano was so terrified…but it didn't seem like the vampire would do anything to him. If he really wanted to, he would have. He kept his distance, even when he was trying to be intimidating and Lovino figured vampires showed off their fangs up close and personal. And those last words made him sound almost hurt, so what Lovino had said really got to him. Which meant something was going on here. There would be no way for him to figure it out in this stupid cell, though.

"Are you trying to get killed?" one of the original voices hissed, but it echoed quite well down here, too.

"I am trying to be helpful," said the voice that led Lovino down here.

"And if Gilbert gets mad?" the other voice asked. "His temper's only getting worse. Don't think he's above hurting you."

"I have a feeling," the voices were really close now and Lovino shakily stood up. From what the nicer voice was saying, something might happen soon. "Gilbert was nicer to this one."

"Because he was willing to sacrifice himself."

"It could be for another reason. And if we let that reason bloom-"

"You can't be seriously thinking that's a good plan."

"You do not have to be a part of it."

Lovino heard some keys jingle and tensed slightly. The way they were talking, it seemed like "Gilbert" would be very mad for what they were doing. But that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy getting out of this stupid cell. Then again, it also sounded like they expected Lovino to fall in love with the vampire.

"And I will still get in trouble if I don't try to stop you."

"You can say you weren't around."

"He'll know I'm lying."

"I can actually hear you," Lovino stated. "If you want to stop fucking arguing."

"Ah, oui," the voice that led him down here cleared his through. "Bonjour, je m'apelle Francis."

"Don't talk to him!"

"Why?" Francis asked.

"He's a prisoner, that's why!"

"Not for long, non?" the keys jingled and Lovino heard one go into the keyhole and turn before the door opened.

"This is a very bad idea," one of the people in front of him now put his face in his hand.

"Bonjour!" the other person said happily. Lovino could hardly see them, but he could tell that this person, Francis, had longer hair than the other and also seemed far more relaxed.

"What are you doing?" Lovino asked bluntly.

"You do not wish to stay here for your whole life, do you?" Francis asked.

"I figured I was supposed to," Lovino stated.

"If Gilbert wanted to stop this, he would have by now," Francis said with a wave of his hand. "Come now, we have a few spare rooms."

"How many times do I have to tell you that this is a very bad idea?" the other one glared at Francis as Lovino slowly got up and walked forward.

"You are an idiot for going against that bastard," Lovino said.

"I am not worried about him," Francis hummed and swiftly turned around to go up the stairs to the main level. Lovino weighed his options in his head for a quick second before he decided having an actual room was better than nothing and followed the man. And he figured Francis was right, if the vampire was so against this happening, he would be back to throw Lovino into that cell like he was nothing.

"Why are you all here?" Lovino asked. It looked like they were all teenagers, but they were well used to this mansion by now, so they were around for a long time.

"That is a very long story," Francis chuckled and Lovino noticed the other one following them closely behind.

"Well I have a lot of time now," Lovino sighed.

"Hey, Francis," the one behind them piped up after a short while of silence.

"Oui?" Francis glanced back at him.

"Have you taken a look at his uniform?" he asked.

"Hm," Francis hummed, looking Lovino up and down. "Ah, I see. We should call Antoine."

"Antoine?" Lovino muttered. "Do you mean Antonio?"

"So he does know him," the one behind them muttered.

"What the fuck does Antonio have to do with this?" Lovino asked.

"You have quite the mouth on you," Francis chuckled. "Do not worry, I'm sure Antonio will explain everything to you. You would probably prefer the familiar face."

"If it's his face, I don't think so," Lovino huffed.

* * *

**And I'm stopping here before this gets too long. At first, I thought I didn't have enough to put into this chapter, but then it just kept going and the characters wouldn't shut up because they love the spotlight. Anyway, Lovino is now officially a prisoner and we know what Gilbert is! I'm just so cliché, I couldn't help myself but make him a vampire. Gil makes a beautiful vampire, don't you think?**

**Anyway, please review! It's the right thing to do.**


	5. Chapter 5

The room Lovino was dragged to was rather extravagant. Definitely not something he expected from this stupid mansion. It had a fairly large bed with an intricate design on the comforter alone with a delicately carved desk and chair and a dresser that could hold both shirts and pants. While Lovino impatiently waited for Antonio to come and answer his questions, he searched through the dresser and found that there were actually multiple clothes just waiting to be put on. All of it was incredibly fancy…

"I am so happy you could make it!" Francis' voice sighed happily and Lovino's attention immediately turned to the door. He figured by how large it was that it would be thick, but he could hear fairly well through it.

"I'm really busy right now," Antonio sighed and Lovino gritted his teeth. What was Antonio doing with this stupid mansion?

"But I am sure he is scared," Francis sighed and Lovino scoffed. Sure, at first, it was all too much to grasp and he freaked out, but now that he had calmed down and found that Gilbert wouldn't even be that mad about this, he was perfectly fine. "And he has the same uniform as you and even seemed to know you. A familiar face could be good for him."

"I'm surprised the poor kid survived if Gilbert got pissed," Antonio stated.

"Do you think this could possibly be the person we've been waiting for?" Francis asked.

"I can tell you as soon as I see him," Antonio sighed and the door handle started moving. As soon as it opened and they met eyes Antonio let out a groan. "And we're screwed."

"Antonio, what the fuck is going on?" Lovino demanded as Antonio closed the door behind him.

"It's a long story," Antonio said, looking at the ground.

"Yeah, well, I'm stuck here my whole life," Lovino stated. "I think I have time to hear what you have to say."

"Tell me your story first," Antonio stated. "Francis apparently had no time to tell me since it was an emergency."

"Feliciano came in here to get away from those men," Lovino sighed. "Gilbert apparently got pissed off and threw him in some cell in the basement. I asked if I could take his place and, for some reason, he agreed."

"Just perfect," Antonio ran a hand through his hair. "That assignment in English today…you did Beauty and the Beast, right?"

"Si, why?" Lovino asked.

"Well," Antonio rubbed the back of his neck. "A while ago, Gilbert and everyone else here went to Hetalia Academy. One day, a girl whose looks were…less than average asked for Gilbert's help and he flat-out refused her. She tried again the next day and Gilbert just ignored her. The next day, after he ignored her again, it turned out she was quite bonita. And a witch. So she cursed Gilbert for what he did and turned him into a vampire. And then she took all of his friends and cursed them as well. Before we knew what happened, we were all trapped in here and we'd only be free if Gilbert could actually fall in love with someone and have the other person love him in five years. Our main problem is that I'm the only one who can leave the mansion."

"There is no fucking way I'm living through Beauty and the Beast," Lovino growled.

"Just think about it," Antonio begged. "You are fitting perfectly into the roll! First Alfred tries to get you to be his boyfriend, though he could easily get anyone else and you say no. Then your brother goes missing and you find him in a creepy mansion where you save him from staying here forever by sacrificing yourself."

"And so you just expect me to waltz over to Gilbert and fall in love with the bastard?" Lovino snapped. "That is never going to happen!"

"I'm not saying you have to," Antonio put his hands up in surrender. "Just keep an open mind."

"If he really wants someone to fall in love with him to reverse your stupid curse," Lovino scoffed, "then he's actually going to try. He'll make me actually love him, not the other way around."

"Fair enough," Antonio sighed and his phone began to ring in his pocket. He glanced at Lovino before answering it. "Hola…"

"Feli's back!" Alfred's obnoxious voice chimed, loud enough for Lovino to hear it.

"H-He is?" Antonio tried his best to sound surprised and excited.

"Yeah, but he's really spooked," Alfred stated. "Do you know how to get a hold of Lovi? He should know this." Lovino winced when he heard Feliciano wail loudly in the background.

"I will see if I can find him on my way back over," Antonio mumbled.

"Antonio!" Feliciano had apparently gotten hold of the phone and Lovino looked at the ground. He'd figured he'd been fine not seeing his brother again as long as he wasn't brought up. But hearing his voice made it a hell of a lot harder. "L-Lovi's not c-coming back! I t-tried telling A-Alfred…I-If you l-look for him, y-you could get h-hurt!"

"Hey, Feli, calm down," Antonio said soothingly and Lovino slumped onto the bed. "I-I'm sure your brother's fine. I'll be there soon, alright?" The voice on the other line was too quiet for Lovino to hear and Antonio happily nodded. "Adios, I will see you soon." He hung up and Lovino let out a sigh.

"At least Belle didn't have to hear her father crying," Lovino grumbled.

"I have to go," Antonio sighed. "I'll be back soon, just try not to get into trouble."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lovino glared at him.

"You know what happens next in Beauty and the Beast," Antonio sighed. "She finds the rose and then runs away to be attacked by wolves."

"Don't worry, I won't willingly go anywhere near that bastard," Lovino sighed.

"Good!" Antonio chirped and started towards his door. "Just stay out of trouble. Gilbet's a little...unstable right now."

"I noticed," Lovino stated and the door closed behind Antonio. Lovino fell back onto the bed, letting out a groan. He didn't even care enough to try to hear what Francis and Antonio were talking about as they walked away. After a short while, Lovino got up and opened the door a crack to look around. No one was nearby so he easily slunk out of the room and into the darkness of the hallways. Why was it that there were hardly any lights on in this stupid mansion? There was a light in Lovino's room, but that was pretty much it…

He didn't bother being quiet, knowing full well Gilbert could hear him anyway, so he just causally made his way around. He was trying to make his way to the kitchen to possibly make something to eat, but getting to know his way around would be a good idea, too. There were a couple rooms with open doors that he found were usually just bedrooms or even a bathroom at one point. He usually stayed away from the closed doors, definitely not wanting to open one up to find Gilbert. He would probably die if that happened.

Eventually, though, he made it to two large and very heavy looking doors at the end of a hallway. Lovino's curiosity got the best of him and he shoved them open. It was fairly dusty inside, like no one had been in it for a while, and Lovino coughed a little before looking into the dark room. It looked like there was some kind of large table in it. Getting tired of the dark, Lovino quickly found a few light switches on the wall next to the doors and switched them all on.

He flinched slightly at the sudden light, but when he opened them, he was dumbfounded at what he saw. The room was beautiful. The table was massive, going all the way to the other end of the large dining room, and there were chairs lining both sides and both heads of the table. Everything looked intricately crafted, even the beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There were places set up on the table, as if waiting to be used. Porcelain plates and bowls, silver utensils, all with unique carvings on them, empty wine glasses looking ready to be filled. The rug on the ground was beautiful as well, but it didn't even looked like a single person stepped on it. The whole room seemed to be completely unused.

"Amazing," Lovino muttered. He noticed other doors on the wall to the right that seemed to be able to open both ways. Lovino made his way through those and found the kitchen, though that was dark as well. Lovino cursed under his breath and slowly set about to finding the light switches for this room. Once he found them and light flooded in, he could admire the kitchen.

This room was slightly more used than the other one, though the stove was spick and span, perfectly clean to the point where it would have been impossible for someone to have used it. The counters had a few crumbs here and there and the floor could have been cleaned better, but other than that, it was perfectly clean. Pots and pans hung from a metal rack hanging from the ceiling and several utensils were inside a metal container. Lovino immediately went over to a door he assumed was the pantry and opened it up.

A light flickered inside it, obviously motion sensitive, and revealed a wide assortment of food. Anything from snacks to ingredients to things that could take hours to make. Lovino hadn't been able to actually, full out cook since he and his brother had made a big dinner with their grandfather. Lovino couldn't hide the smile growing on his face as he turned to the massive refrigerator and opened it. Once more, as the lights flickered on, he was amazed with the food he could find.

"I recall Antoine telling you to stay out of trouble," Francis chuckled behind him.

"I haven't gotten into trouble yet," Lovino shrugged. "Besides, the tomato bastard doesn't tell me what to do."

"I have always wanted to cook in this kitchen," Francis sighed.

"Then why don't you?" Lovino asked as he started rummaging around in the fridge, looking past the things cluttering the front.

"I have never had a good reason," Francis shrugged.

"I've never needed a reason to cook," Lovino stated. He could feel his stomach growling. Come to think of it, he never did make something for him to eat for dinner. Feliciano was probably hungry…

Lovino shook his head. He had to get his brother out of his thoughts or he would never get over it.

"I guess I was always afraid of Gilbert getting mad, as well," Francis chuckled and Lovino glanced back at him.

"What the fuck would he have to get mad about?" Lovino asked.

"You have a good point," Francis laughed as Lovino closed the door.

"You all have been here how long and none of you have actually cooked something in here?" Lovino raised an eyebrow, looking around the kitchen. The stove was unused and the oven probably was, too. There was an old microwave stationed in the corner that looked pretty beat up.

"If Gilbert wants to eat something, he wants it quickly," Francis shrugged. "So we use the microwave. And everyone else is just like me, scared of what Gilbert might do."

"Well, fuck Gilbert," Lovino turned back to the pantry and started pulling out a few ingredients. He quickly checked to make sure they weren't expired and was pleasantly surprised to find that everything was perfectly fine. "Does Antonio just shop for you?"

"That is only good thing about this curse," Francis smiled. "The food just appears."

"Then you won't care if I use it?" Lovino raised an eyebrow.

"Be my guest," Francis shrugged. "I might as well help you, as well."

"Fine," Lovino shrugged and rolled up his sleeves.

* * *

**I know Lovino would hate being served food, especially by people he doesn't know, so he's cooking himself. It's not like he can't, so why not? And Antonio can only try to be helpful while he's constantly in and out of the mansion trying to live both of his lives. Poor Feli…he can't say anything about all this…**

**Anyway, Gilbert will show up again next chapter, he didn't really get much in this one because Lovino is avoiding Gilbert and Gilbert is avoiding Lovino. So there's no way they'll actually see each other.**

**Anywho, please review!**

**Also, I've started a series of one-shots (short prose) on DeviantArt under the same pen-name it would be great for you all to look at it and tell me what you think. It's original work and it's called The Spider Witch. Please do tell me what you think of that!**


	6. Chapter 6

Gilbert was confused. This Lovino seemed almost scared at first. Trembling and crying. But then he just waltzed out of the cell without a care in the world? It wasn't like Gilbert cared that he moved, he would hear less complaining if Lovino got a lousy room all to himself. It was just odd that he would just move like that. And when Antonio specifically told him to stay put, of course he moved to the kitchen.

He was just as troublesome as Belle.

Gilbert decided to put his movie, Beauty and the Beast, on pause and swiftly left the TV room, a bottle of beer in his hand. With the smell of actual food wafting through the mansion, everyone had taken notice. They were all either in the kitchen or the dining room, things Gilbert had never even touched since he got into this stupid place. He easily stuck to the shadows and no one could see him enter the room. All of them held the dishes in their hands, apparently preferring to stand than sit down at the table definitely big enough to fit all of them.

"This is amazing!" Elizaveta gushed and Lovino smiled, blushing slightly. "We've never had real food in this house!"

"Ah, grazi," Lovino rubbed the back of his neck. Gilbert quietly scoffed. It was just spaghetti, what was so great about that? On the bright side, it masked the smell of new blood that was driving Gilbert crazy. He was used to the smell of blood in all the other people, but a new scent was enough to drive Gilbert up a wall. He'd done well so far, but this one kid could easily mess him up. They could all think what they wanted, this was nothing like Beauty and the Beast.

"I did help, ma cheri," Francis smirked, leaning close to her.

"You did notice that stolen frying pan, didn't you?" Elizaveta smirked and Gilbert sighed. He remembered when he was actually human and feared the wrath of her frying pan, but now he couldn't even feel anything.

"The frog deserves a good whack to the head," Arthur laughed and Gilbert twitched. He had never thought everyone could be in a good a mood like this. It was just a shame he couldn't ever feel that way again.

* * *

Lovino saw it when Gilbert came in, but since no one else noticed, he decided to keep quiet about it. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and Gilbert would only piss everyone off further. Eventually he did leave and still no one noticed. Maybe it was just because no one wanted to see him.

"Do you usually cook all the time?" Elizaveta chirped next to Lovino, bringing him back to the people next to him.

"I haven't had much time to," Lovino shrugged. "I've been taking care of my brother."

"Well, we could cook every day," Francis chimed and tried to give Lovino a hug, but Lovino quickly punched him away.

"Just quit molesting me, bastard," Lovino glared at him.

"No promises," Francis winked and Lovino was very tempted to punch him again. Feliciano was in this house alone and probably had to deal with Francis, too. The thought made him even more pissed off.

"I'm going to go clean up," Lovino muttered and returned to the kitchen, where there was a massive crowd of people, all gushing over his pasta. He had to wonder how many people were forced under this curse because of Gilbert.

"You shouldn't have to clean up by yourself," Elizaveta followed, smiling brightly at him.

"It's fine, I don't care," Lovino assured her. She was actually the first teenage girl that didn't make Lovino hate her with the way she talked or carried herself. She was actually nice, though with her constant threats against Francis, she was rather intimidating.

"Well, I do," Elizaveta chimed and marched over to a pot on the stove and started to the sink.

"Trust me, you won't get her to not do it," Arthur chimed behind him and started rolling up his sleeves. "I might as well help you, too, lad."

"I will help," Roderich, someone Lovino had met but who was rather reserved, stated. Everyone else slowly agreed to help and Lovino found that he didn't actually have to do anything. Lovino almost thought that it was pity, but people who talked to him didn't hold fake smiles, like the ones Lovino received after his grandfather died. They were real smiles, like they wanted him to be their friend. They all seemed so eager, too, and Lovino knew exactly why. They'd only known each other for five years. Just the same faces day in and day out. Lovino knew that could get very boring very quickly.

"Grazi," Lovino nodded to the last of the people that were leaving the kitchen now that they felt fulfilled. The kitchen was left nearly as clean as Lovino had first found it, but now it had been used, so there was that little sparkle to it.

"Would you mind us trying to give you a tour?" Arthur asked, being one of the few that didn't leave, along with Elizaveta and Francis. "It would be better than mindlessly walking around until you find something."

"If you've seen Beauty and the Beast, you know what happens next," Lovino scoffed, leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Who ever said you actually had to follow the plot of that?" Francis raised an eyebrow.

"Then let's let Cogsworth and Lumeire give me a tour of the castle," Lovino smirked and Elizaveta started laughing.

"I just realized I'm probably Mrs. Potts!" she held onto her stomach she was laughing so hard. "I must find a Chip!" She stood up straight.

"There are no kids in the mansion," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I could find Ravis!" Elizaveta chimed happily. "He's short!"

"If you want short, you could always go for mon petit Arthur," Francis laughed and Arthur glared at him.

"For God's sake, I'm not bloody short!" Arthur snapped at him. "And since when am I yours?"

"You are a liar," Francis laughed even harder. "You do understand French."

"Doesn't mean I like it," Arthur huffed.

"You two argue like a married couple, it's so adorable!" Elizaveta gushed. "I wonder if I could get any pictures this time…"

"For the love of-" Arthur cut himself off. "Sod off." With that, he swiftly left the room, grabbing hold of Lovino's arm. Lovino was content watching the conversation, becoming rather amused with how they all bickered and laughed. They were all just one happy, dysfunctional family together. It made him miss Feliciano a lot more than he thought he would.

"What, no Frenchman to come with us?" Lovino raised an eyebrow as they walked down the dark hallways, leaving the bright kitchen and dining room behind.

"He's just bloody annoying," Arthur scoffed. "But Elizaveta seems intent on trying to get us together."

"Some girls are just annoying," Lovino shrugged. "Would it kill you all to turn on some fucking lights?"

"We all know our way around well enough," Arthur shrugged. "And Gilbert seems to prefer this place to be a dark hole."

"Well, I've said it before," Lovino shrugged as he saw a group of light switches on the wall and walked to them. "Fuck Gilbert." He flipped the lights on, temporarily blinding them, but it did light up the hallway. It wasn't as creepy now that Lovino knew what he was looking at. This whole mansion probably looked amazing, but Gilbert was too emo to let it shine through.

"You're going to get yourself killed thinking that way," Arthur shook his head, but he had a faint smile on his lips. "What would you like to see?"

"This place has a library, right?" Lovino asked, figuring if this was a copy of Beauty and the Beast, then it would have a library. That would make this whole thing a lot easier to live through.

"Of course," Arthur nodded and began walking. Lovino was thankful he wasn't as annoying as Cogsworth and didn't drone on about stupid things. They simply walked along the hallway, sometimes delving into idle chatter, as Lovino turned on every light switch he found. There would be hardly any shadows for Gilbert to hide in this way.

Eventually, they passed by a hallway that was far colder than the rest of the mansion and the light switches wouldn't even working.

"I'm guessing this is the West Wing I'm not supposed to go into but will anyway?" Lovino asked, looking to the end of the hall to find double doors, one of them nearly off its hinges.

"Since you know what will happen if you try to take that little adventure, I assume I don't have to tell you to stay away," Arthur sighed.

"Curiosity always kills that fucking stupid cat," Lovino muttered. There was something about that room at the end of the dark hall that made him curious, but he would just have to wait until Arthur was gone so that he could properly explore without being chastised.

They didn't make it much further before Francis had found them, running up to them.

"It is a very stupid idea if you are turning on all these lights just for Gilbert," Francis laughed, though he panted slightly from his run.

"The bastard deserves it," Lovino muttered as they passed another series of switches and he flipped them all on, flooding light into the dark hallway in front of them. "If he really cared, I would be dead by now, so what's the point in hiding from him?"

"So, you are taking him to the library," Francis chuckled.

"It will be nice to have someone around who will actually read the books," Arthur scoffed. "Being the only one grows tiring after a while."

"It'll be nice to have someone around who knows how to fucking read," Lovino muttered darkly, remembering Alfred earlier when he interrupted him in the school library. That felt like so long ago now…

"There are quite a few idiots in this world, aren't there?" Arthur swiftly glared at Francis, who put his hands up in surrender.

"I did nothing to deserve that one, mon cher," Francis sighed.

"You just did by speaking French," Arthur grumbled and they arrived at two, large double doors that Arthur opened with practiced ease. Inside, Lovino couldn't stop himself from smiling at the sight of the massive room. The walls were lined with shelves, which were bursting with books. There were multiple desks and couches littered around the room that could prove as good reading spots. There were also multiple large windows, which were halfheartedly covered with curtains as it was night.

"The lights were on in here," Lovino muttered.

"That is because I was just in here when I smelled your cooking," Arthur nodded. "This is where I spend the majority of my time."

"I am surprised he has not finished the entire collection yet," Francis laughed.

"At least I do something with my time, frog," Arthur snapped. "What is it that you have been doing for the past five years?"

"I actually try talking to Gilbert?" Francis smirked. "I try cheering him up from the horrible mood he has obtained after giving up."

"Figures he would give up," Lovino glanced at the nearest bookshelf and found that he actually didn't know more than half the titles, which was a pleasant surprise.

"He is a lot better than you give him credit for," Francis sighed. "Thought I am sad to say that he has been in a slump because of this curse. Before all of this, he was a lot more lively and far less angry."

"And the Bad Touch Trio terrorized everyone," Arthur scoffed.

"Ah, what a wonderful nickname," Francis hummed happily. "I hope to get it back after the curse is lifted."

"If the curse is lifted," Arthur reminded.

"That's what I'm here for, remember?" Lovino glanced back from the bookshelf to look at the two.

"Oui, he might be just what we are looking for," Francis chimed.

"And if he isn't?" Arthur sighed.

"You should not look down so much, mon cher," Francis laughed.

"Would you quit calling me that infernal nickname?" Arthur twitched.

"Well, you know what it means," Francis hummed. "I could always try a new nickname and see if you know what that means."

"Try me," Arthur glared at him.

"Ma petite blonde!" Francis chimed.

"I'm not a bloody girl, you idiot!" Arthur snapped. Lovino glanced at the door as they continued to bicker. Now would be the perfect time to sneak away. He was bound to go to the West Wing anyway, so why not just get it over with and deal with what happened later?

Lovino easily made his way out of the amazing room and down the hallway until he got to the dark hall.

Curiosity killed the fucking cat.

* * *

**Yay, predictable plot lines! Of course I'm changing things around a little bit in this story, but I also have to follow the basic plot lines to keep it going. At least the characters are entertaining, right? And our future lovebirds will be together again soon!**

**Please review! It's great!**


	7. Chapter 7

The "West Wing" was basically just one room. It was almost a disappointment, it was so small. The lights still didn't work, so Lovino's eyes had to adjust. The temperature seemed to drop as well, when he entered the place, so it emitted a very freaky feeling. The bed sat off to the side, completely unused by the looks of it, though the posts were broken off, laying on the floor with wood splintered everywhere. There were broken tables and chairs scattered around, too. It was almost like he used this place to get out his anger.

One thing that attracted Lovino's attention was the calendar on the wall across from the bed. When he came close to it and studied it, he found that it just looked like some regular calendar. But it didn't end at the end of the month. It ended in just a couple weeks. There were red 'x's crossing off dates and Lovino jumped when he heard a clock begin to strike 12. In front of him, an 'x' appeared on the calendar.

"So this is your rose," Lovino muttered, moving to touch the thing, but something gripped hard onto his wrist. Any harder and the bone would begin to break.

"Don't," Gilbert spat. "Touch. That." Lovino mentally hit himself for falling so easily into the roll for Belle.

"What the fuck am I going to do to it?" Lovino snapped, trying to pull his arm away to no avail.

"I can deal with you having your own room and waltzing around making friends," Gilbert growled, his red eyes nearly glowing in anger. "But you do not go into my room."

"And how often do you use it?" Lovino glared at him. "Just when you need to break something?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Gilbert narrowed his eyes at Lovino.

"You don't scare me," Lovino stated.

"I should," Gilbert gripped just a little tighter and Lovino gasped in pain.

"Bite me," Lovino spat, but he froze when he realized just what he had said.

"As you wish," Gilbert smirked and, before Lovino could even blink, there was massive pressure on his neck. It was painful and he opened his mouth in a silent scream, unable to make any noise, no matter how hard he tried. The pain only grew worse as Gilbert didn't even move, seemingly intent on drinking all of his blood. He even released Lovino's wrist to put a hand on his head and move it to apparently get a better angle.

Lovino quickly grew dizzy, his legs now numb and giving out under him. The only thing holding him up was Gilbert as he grew too weak to even think of fighting back. But Gilbert didn't pull back. Even as the room grew dark and slowly drew to black.

* * *

Gilbert had no idea what had come over him. He was just…angry. Lovino had gotten onto his last nerve. So he bit down on his neck and started drinking as if it was second nature to him. He lost control at the taste of the blood. It was like nothing he'd ever tasted before and he was desperate to get more.

He had no control of his body as he continued to drink. Lovino hardly fought back, which was a good thing. Even as the boy fell limp, Gilbert didn't care. He was so close to drinking him dry, when someone burst into the room and Gilbert snapped to his senses.

"Oh, my God," Arthur gasped as Gilbert dropped Lovino, both of his hands clamping firmly over his mouth, which was slimy with blood.

"Lovino," Antonio was quickly at the boy's side, checking things like a pulse that Gilbert had nearly taken away. He hadn't even noticed that Antonio was back, what was wrong with him?

"Gilbert," Francis came up to him, a stern look on his face, but it softened when he got a good look at Gilbert.

"I'm sorry," Gilbert nearly felt like crying, even though he knew he wasn't even able to anymore. "I'm sorry."

"He's gotten a lot worse than you were letting on, Francis," Arthur sighed.

"We need to get him to a hospital now," Antonio stated, getting everyone's attention. "He's almost out of blood."

"No," Gilbert shook his head, feeling his legs about to give out under him. What the hell was wrong with him?! He could have killed him! He actually…drank human blood…

"Gilbert, we need to know his blood type so Antonio can save him," Arthur stated.

"That's too slow," Gilbert stated, moving his hands away from his mouth finally.

"You don't think you can-" Francis was cut off.

"This is my fault," Gilbert pressed, feeling the guilt weighing on him like several tons. "I have to try."

"We have to hurry, then," Antonio stated.

"Ja," Gilbert turned to the passed out Lovino. He looked almost peaceful, save for the two small holes in his neck that were bleeding slowly. He winced as he picked him up and then started running. Due to his incredible speed, he was at the front door in a second and kicked it open. He was careful not to splinter it and took a deep breath (that he didn't need) before he started running in the direction where he knew the nearest hospital was.

The second he was out the door he was hit by a massive wave of pain, but he just gritted his teeth and started running. Normally, he couldn't feel pain, but this damn curse had to make sure he wouldn't leave. He knew he deserved this pain for what he did and just kept going. Lovino was pale and Gilbert could hardly hear his breathing or his heartbeat. In less than a minute, they were at the hospital and Gilbert was panting due to all the pressure on him.

"He needs blood," he said urgently to the person at the counter. No one was around, since it was midnight and in a few seconds, there were two nurses with a gurney that Gilbert placed Lovino onto. He quickly realized what they would say when they realized his only wound was on his neck so he swiftly made eye contact with both of them and dug deep to use his other vampire ability he had never used before. Hypnotism. "Don't ask any questions," he stated and both women nodded simply. He told them Lovino's blood type, since he had drank most of it, he could just tell, and then they carted him off.

Gilbert let out a groan, wanting to rip his hair out, but just moving a little bit was extremely painful. Just standing made it hard for him to think.

"You should sit down, amigo," Antonio panted running up to him a couple minutes later.

"Ja," Gilbert muttered and slowly moved to a chair before slumping down. It didn't help the pain at all.

"It's not your fault," Antonio smiled slightly, obviously trying to help Gilbert, but it definitely wasn't working.

"Yes, it was," Gilbert deadpanned. "Just because I couldn't control my fucking anger, he's almost dead!"

"It's the curse's fault though," Antonio tried.

"And the curse is my fault," Gilbert groaned. "I was able to make it five fucking years on just beer and food. Barely, but I did it. And then he comes in and I can't help myself and I drink blood. And I actually fucking liked it…"

"He'll be alright, though," Antonio said.

"And I'm already going crazy smelling his blood," Gilbert shakily ran a hand through his hair. It was painful, but he did it anyway. "Just his. Everyone else; I couldn't care less… I nearly drank him dry…"

"I know it's hard," Antonio sighed. "But there's nothing you can do about that now. We just have to keep going and hope for the best."

"I'll let him go," Gilbert muttered.

"Aren't you worried he'll tell someone?" Antonio asked.

"Then they either think he's crazy or they come kill me," Gilbert shrugged. "Either way, we're better off than having him around while I can't control myself. I'm only going to get worse when the five years is up and I don't want to kill him."

"You've seen Beauty and the Beast, si?" Antonio asked.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded. He didn't like the idea of comparing them to a fairytale, especially one remade by Disney.

"I'd hate to say it, but this is going perfectly like it," Antonio bit his lip. "Which means he might be the one to break the curse. Which means you need to keep him around."

"I'm only going to get worse if he's around," Gilbert snapped.

"And if the five years is up and I'm wrong," Antonio continued, "then you can let him go. We'll all make sure you don't hurt him. You've been strong for this long and you still haven't killed anybody. I don't think you're about to start anytime soon."

"Guess we'll find out," Gilbert grumbled. He knew Lovino would chew him out the second he woke up. He figured he should just enjoy the painful silence while he could.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter, but I was running out of things to do. The plan for the next chapter would just make this unbearably long if I put it in here. Anywho, I can imagine how hard it is for Gilbert, he's been a vampire for nearly five years and this was his first taste of blood. He's going to start being less and less angsty soon, we just have to go through the "wolves" that are in Beauty and the Beast and then things cool down a bit after that.**

**My updates are going to be once a week now, since school started. It's a lot harder this year than last year, but I'm sure I'll be able to update once a week.**

**Please review! I will love you very much for it!**


	8. Chapter 8

Lovino felt hazy as his eyes slowly opened. He blinked slowly, trying to come to terms with what had happened. Slowly, his thoughts returned to his mind. He remembered Feliciano going off with Ludwig, then finding him in that stupid mansion, and then trading himself for his brother to the…vampire.

Lovino shot up to his sitting position, all of his other memories of that night slamming into his head. He felt a little off, but other than that, he showed no signs of nearly running out of blood.

"You're awake," Antonio chimed happily and Lovino snapped his head over to glare at him. He was rather surprised, though, to find that Gilbert was there, too. They were in some white room that had a few chairs in it. And quite a few monitors.

"Where the fuck am I?" Lovino demanded.

"We're in a hospital," Antonio tried smiling, but apparently decided it wasn't that good of a decision. "You were dangerously low on blood."

"I wonder why," Lovino snapped and Gilbert visibly winced, though he was oddly quiet and reserved. "How much longer do I have to fucking stay here?" Lovino tentatively moved his hand to feel his neck, where he'd been bitten and winced slightly when his fingers ran over two bumps.

"You can leave whenever you want," Antonio sighed.

"Good, I'm leaving now," Lovino snapped, thankful when he looked down and found that he wasn't in the stupid hospital clothes. "And I am definitely not going back to your stupid mansion."

"Fine," Gilbert muttered and Antonio actually looked shocked, but didn't say a word.

"Like I needed your permission," Lovino glared at him.

"I'll get you cleared," Gilbert slowly stood up and walked towards the door. Lovino could tell that something was wrong with him, the way he carried himself was different from the last time, when he'd sucked his blood. Lovino waited until Gilbert was out of the room and the door was closed before he swung his legs over the side of the bed, tossing aside the sheets and trying to stand.

"He didn't mean to do that, you know," Antonio sighed and moved to try to help Lovino up when he discovered he was actually having issues keeping himself up.

"I'm sure he had full control over his body," Lovino stated, shoving Antonio away. "I can fucking stand on my own, thank you."

"You need to understand that he isn't himself right now," Antonio said.

"Why the hell should I care?" Lovino growled. "I'm leaving so you're going to have to find another perfect Belle somewhere else. There's no way in Hell that I'm dealing with this shit anymore."

"Gil isn't the only one being affected by this curse, you know," Antonio argued. "We all are."

"It's not my problem," Lovino said firmly. "I wasn't there, I had nothing to do with it, and I'm not dealing with it."

"But you can stop it," Antonio sighed. "You have to try, you could be the only one that can help."

"Just because I'm fitting so magically fucking perfectly into this stupid role, doesn't mean I'm going to go along with it," Lovino argued. "Give me one reason, besides the curse, that I should stay."

"Gilbert is already starting to have feelings for you," Antonio pressed and Lovino faltered slightly.

"What?" Lovino asked.

"He hasn't actually said it out loud," Antonio sighed, running a nervous hand through his hair, "but I've known him for a long time and I can tell. I know he feels horrible."

"You're clear," Gilbert re-entered the room, leaning heavily on a nearby wall. "You can leave."

"Fine," Lovino stated and found his shoes lying near his bed on the ground. He quickly put them on and started for the door. A part of him (albeit, a very small part) wanted to stay and help. But a bigger part had to find his brother. Tell him that he was fine and nothing was wrong. So, without looking back, he said, "See you in school, Antonio."

And then he left. He could hear the two's muffled voices as he walked away, but ignored them well enough. Lovino felt a need to cover up his neck with his hand as he passed by the few people in the hospital and swiftly left. He was blinded slightly by the light of the day and he had to wonder how long he had fallen asleep for.

That, and where the hell he was. He was fairly sure he'd never been in this part of town before. People bustled all around him, but he was pretty sure none of them would pay him any mind. He just looked like some kid skipping school in the middle of the day. School was probably in session, if he thought about it.

Lovino just let out a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest as he started walking through the crowd. He looked around for signs that he'd been in this kind of place before, but nothing was familiar. He knew he'd walked pretty far when he was looking for Feliciano, but he didn't expect it to be this far into the city.

When he finally swallowed his pride and asked someone for help, they did just what he expected and ignored him, continuing to hurry with the rest of the crowd. It was times like this when Lovino wished he could afford a phone. If he wasn't such a fucking idiot, he would have asked Antonio if he could use his phone or something. He didn't even have any change to try to use a payphone. Nor did he actually know the numbers of anyone he knew.

He walked for hours in what he was sure was the wrong direction at this point. Letting out a long sigh, he turned around, figuring he might as well backtrack and see if that would help him. He was able to quickly figure out that he had gotten out of the hospital probably sometime after noon and by now, the sun was starting to set over the tall buildings around him. Lovino cursed under his breath at the soon to be a lack of light. He wasn't an idiot; he knew that if he was alone in the city for too long at night, bad shit would happen.

He started walking quicker as the crowd around him slowly depleted. Unluckily for him, the only familiar landmark as the sun finally went down was Gilbert's stupid mansion. He let out a frustrated groan and tried to think of the path he took to get there. He figured he was on the right path and hardly anyone was around him, so he was walking a lot quicker.

Suddenly, as he passed some incredibly dark alley, someone quickly grabbed onto his arm and yanked him into the alley.

"Let go of me, fucktard," Lovino spat, trying to wriggle out of the man's grip.

"You're from Hetalia Academy," a man laughed and another one joined in. Lovino could hardly see anything and tried to stop himself from shaking. He couldn't help it. He was tired and hungry, he hadn't stopped walking around for hours and he was sure the last time he ate was near midnight when he made that pasta.

"We've got us a rich kid."

"I'm not fucking rich, now let go of me," Lovino snapped, his eyes adjusting slightly, but not enough to see their faces well.

"Well, you're obviously not smart enough for a free ride!"

"Just give us all the money you've got now and you're free to go."

"I don't have anything," Lovino stated.

"Come on, we both know that's a lie," the man holding onto him sighed and a fist pummeled into Lovino's gut. Lovino tried to yell out in pain, but a hand swiftly covered his mouth. "Now you've made us angry."

"We might just have to beat the shit out of you and take your money now."

"I don't have anything," Lovino repeated himself through gritted teeth as the hand was removed from his mouth.

"Liar," the man holding his arm laughed and this time something hard hit his head, making his vision swim.

"I'm not fucking lying," Lovino muttered. "Check my pockets if you want."

"You think I'd fall for that?" the man laughed and Lovino could vaguely see something like a fist raising, aimed for his face. He braced himself for the hit, closing his eyes, but when the main suddenly grunted in pain and the grip on his arm disappeared, he opened his eyes again. Much to his surprise, he saw white hair. Someone was crumpled against a wall and the other one was backing up slowly.

"Shit, we didn't mean any trouble," the second one muttered.

"Bullshit," Gilbert's voice growled and, in a second, the other one was on the ground as well. "Don't worry, I didn't kill them if that's what you're thinking."

"Why the hell did you save me?" Lovino demanded.

"Don't worry about it," Gilbert sighed, though his voice seemed to be wavering. "Just…go…home…" the last word trailed off as Gilbert suddenly dropped to the ground.

"Gilbert?" Lovino swiftly kneeled down next to the albino, ignoring the massive pain in his head. He tried shaking Gilbert, but he didn't even make a noise. Lovino had no idea what was wrong, but he immediately thought of the curse. Antonio was the only one that left, so there must be a reason for that.

Letting out a groan, Lovino quickly tried to see if he could pick up the vampire. He was far heavier than he looked and Lovino cursed in frustration. Thinking of no other option, he grabbed onto one of his wrists and started dragging him out of the alley and back onto the main street. He knew how to get back to the mansion from here and he figured that might help Gilbert.

"Why are you so fucking heavy?" Lovino muttered as he dragged him down the street. He had no idea why he was trying to save the thing that tried to kill him just yesterday, but he couldn't just leave him there. Especially after he saved him like that. Who knows how much worse shape Lovino would have been in if he hadn't been there… He probably would have to go back to that stupid hospital. As he grew closer to the mansion, he started yelling to the people inside.

"Antonio! You better be fucking in there!" he yelled out in hopes to get help. He was getting very tired and dizzy. He knew it came from that hit on his head and his very low energy reserves with lack of food. "Francis! Arthur! Elizaveta!"

When he was on the path going through the lawn, just a couple feet away from the entrance, the front door opened and people immediately started talking.

"What happened?"

"They've been gone for so long."

"Did Gilbert die or something?"

"Dios mio…" Antonio sighed, running up to the two and Lovino finally stopped dragging Gilbert. "What happened?"

"I couldn't find my fucking way home and I got lost," Lovino admitted. "I was being mugged and he saved me. But then he just fucking passed out and he's too damn heavy for me to move him!"

"We've been wondering where he went off to all day," Antonio groaned and even he seemed to be unable to pick him up. Eventually, he simply lifted him up by his under arms and started dragging him to the mansion. Lovino decided it would be best to simply follow behind. "He's lucky he isn't worse off."

"So this is what the curse does if you leave?" Lovino asked.

"None of us can even step beyond the front door," Arthur sighed as everyone cleared space and Francis stepped in to help carry Gilbert, who stayed lifelessly limp. "It's amazing he was able to even take one step."

"I'll stay," Lovino sighed and Antonio gave him a confused look, but smiled none-the-less. "But this doesn't change anything. If he wants this to work out like Beauty and the Beast, he's going to be the one to try, not me."

"Si, si," Antonio laughed slightly, nodding. "Thanks."

"You were going to leave?" Elizaveta asked behind him.

"Considering I was bitten, I'm surprised I didn't," Lovino sighed and started walking towards the kitchen. He was so hungry, he was pretty sure he wouldn't even have the patience to properly cook something. Even packaged food would be a God-send right now.

* * *

**I can actually imagine Lovino doing something like this. Someone's passed out and he can't carry them, so he just drags them by the arm for who knows how long. Anywho, Lovino's gonna stay and that means Gil has a chance to try to get the romance started. Next chapter, we actually get fluff! Be excited!**

******Also, sorry I didn't update yesterday like I promised I would, but school is kicking my ass and I was camping. That being said, because of school, my updates will now be between one to two weeks. I promise that it won't take longer than two weeks, and if it does, I will tell you guys.**

**And please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Gilbert was confused when he woke up. He hadn't slept in nearly five years, he figured he couldn't as a vampire, and yet he was blinking himself awake. It took him a little while to remember what happened before all this happened and realization suddenly dawned upon him.

He let out a groan, rolling over on the bed that he had been placed on so that his face was in the pillow. He was just an idiot, that's what happened. He figured Lovino had no idea where he was going and so, despite his better judgment, he followed him through the city. Lovino was lucky he had, considering he was almost mugged. If only Gilbert had been faster, then Lovino wouldn't have gotten a scratch on him. But the curse made it so hard to move out of this stupid mansion.

Why did he follow Lovino in the first place?

The kid was annoying, loud, had no respect, and was rude. Yet Gilbert had this feeling in his gut, something that made him like the kid. He could bullshit and say that he was watching over him because he was supposed to be his "Belle," but if he was honest, the idea hadn't come through his mind at all when he was following Lovino.

He had to respect the kid, in all honesty. He wasn't afraid to stand up to him, someone who could easily beat the shit out of him or even kill him (which nearly happened). And he figured Lovino was the one that brought him back after he passed out, since no one else knew where he was. He had told Antonio to go home…

Gilbert let out a sigh, knowing sleep would never come to him again, but it was nice while it lasted. He sat up and, with all of his senses back, he was able to figure out where everyone was. Francis was stalking Arthur around, Elizaveta was in the kitchen, Antonio wasn't anywhere, so that meant he was at school to watch Ludwig. And Lovino was in the library. Asleep.

Gilbert stood up and brushed himself off, all of his fatigue gone. He figured he was out for a while, considering how long he was going against the curse out there, but how long, exactly? Lovino wasn't just asleep, he was exhausted, that much Gilbert could tell. Not bothering to change his clothes, Gilbert swiftly made his way through the mansion, avoiding the chatting people all around.

He was sad to say that it didn't used to be this relaxed in the mansion. Due to his quickly growing temper, people were usually terrified to talk when they knew he could hear. They usually ducked into rooms and whispered together. All of the lights would be off and those that dared to leave the "safety" of their rooms ran and did whatever they had to do quickly. Lovino, despite his not-so-cheery attitude, was picking up everyone's spirits. All of the lights were on and people were talking happily. Gilbert decided to avoid them, knowing that they would stop and huddle into their rooms once again if he even passed by.

No matter what he did, he always brought down the mood in everything.

When he finally made it into the library, he opened up the doors and quickly shut them behind him. He didn't bother being quiet, knowing that Lovino was exhausted, the only thing that could wake him up now would probably be his brother.

"What time is it?" Gilbert muttered and looked around the room. He usually avoided things like this, even when he wasn't under this stupid curse. He was never a fan of reading in the first place. The room was rather impressive, though, and he was sure it would be better with the curtains drawn open, but he figured someone else must have found Lovino asleep and pulled them all closed.

He turned to one of the couches, where Lovino was resting comfortably, and open book held with both of his arms. There were dark circles under his eyes, signifying he was exhausted. The way his head was positioned, his neck was tilted at just the right angle where Gilbert could perfectly see the bite marks he had left.

"Rough day, huh?" Gilbert smirked. He ran a hand through his hair and walked up to one of the bookcases. "So…what do you like to read?" Gilbert almost laughed. Just talking to someone about something other than the curse was relaxing. When was the last time he'd actually had a conversation about nothing? He couldn't even remember. Even though the other half of the conversation was asleep, it was still nice.

"When I was little, I loved adventure books," Gilbert shrugged, looking through the titles. He hadn't actually read something in so long, it was hard to decipher anything. But it was slowly coming back. "You would probably call me an idiot for this, but I hardly remember how to read." This time he did laugh. He had five years to do nothing and nothing was all he'd done. He knew Arthur had read through at least half of this library, a few others played video games, and Francis and Antonio were nearly always in some odd debate over something they found on the internet. And Gilbert had done literally nothing. He sat on his ass drinking beer to fill the void of blood, and watched teen vampire shows and movies.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Gilbert started laughing even harder, holding onto his stomach and stooping down. "I've been watching handsome, sparkly vampires for five years! At least some of the girls were hot!" Lovino stirred slightly and Gilbert slowly brought himself to calm down, but he was still chuckling to himself as he straightened himself out and looked back at the titles. "Maybe I should try my hand at reading Twilight. Hell, I've got the time…"

Francis was starting to walk towards the library, but Gilbert didn't really pay him any attention. He was probably going to check on Lovino without a clue Gilbert was even in there. When he did, things would be serious again.

"When did Francis get serious?" Gilbert continued his one-sided conversation. "Probably the same time I did. I remember Eliza whacking us with her fucking frying pan every time we did something perverted to her." He laughed some more, looking at but not reading the titles. "Even around her. I'm pretty sure even if Ludwig saw me right now, he would slap me to try to get me back to my senses."

Gilbert let out a sigh, staring at all the books. They all seemed to be some different, musty color, a few falling apart and a few looking brand new. Some were thin and some were thick. Gilbert really wanted to read one.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" he repeated himself.

"You do realize he is asleep, non?" Francis asked behind him and Gilbert nodded. "I wish you would confide in me like that," Francis stated. "Like you used to."

"Shit just started getting serious," Gilbert muttered, not daring to tear his eyes away from the bookshelf. "How long was I out?"

"Two days," Francis stated. "Lovino dragged you back most of the way by your arm, it was rather humorous. He made some more food and then came in here. I do not think he's left, except to go to the bathroom."

"How far into this did I become serious?" Gilbert asked. The times when he was just a teenager getting into trouble and pissing off his parents seemed like a dream at this point. It was almost like it never happened…that this was all that there was.

"Half a year," Francis said. "For a while, we all acted just as we did in school, happy to just have a party until the curse was broken. I guess you just realized you would never find l'amour."

"You've been using French less, too," Gilbert smirked, glancing back at him.

"You have been using less German," Francis nodded to him and Lovino stirred again.

Gilbert knew he was waking up, but he didn't want to have to face him. Especially with those marks on his neck staring right at him. With a sigh, he quickly left the room. Lovino would probably be better off if Gilbert didn't talk to him. They weren't Beauty and the Beast, this wasn't some Disney fairytale.

He went to the TV room, hoping to find some beer and cartoons. Like hell he was going back to Edward and Bella's shitty romance.

* * *

Lovino still felt tired, even when he felt himself waking up. He knew he fell asleep in the library, but he didn't expect the couches to be so comfortable. He glanced down at the book he still hadn't finished, despite reading for two days straight, and decided to bookmark the page. He was hungry, so he would probably cook something with Francis again…

"Bon matin!" Francis chimed behind him and Lovino jumped slightly.

"What the fuck are you doing, scaring the shit out of someone who just woke up?" Lovino snapped, turning around to glare at him. He'd been nervous for the time that Gilbert would wake up for the past two days, sure that he would yell at him or talk down to him about saving him in that stupid alley. But he hadn't woken up yet, so he had nothing to worry about. Until the angry bear decided to come out of his cave again.

"You will be fine, mon ami," Francis sighed and said something else in French, as if he was talking to himself.

"Why the hell are you speaking so much French?" Lovino scoffed, standing up and setting the book down on the couch. He stretched, considering his position had him practically curling around the book.

"I have just noticed I have not used much of my native language recently," Francis smiled innocently, something that didn't fit his face, at least from what Lovino had experienced.

"Whatever," Lovino rolled his eyes. "What fucking time is it?"

"Around treize heure," Francis hummed.

"English, bastardo," Lovino glared at him.

"One," Francis chuckled.

"Finally," Lovino groaned and started to the door. "You're helping me make lunch."

"Oui, of course," Francis smiled warmly and Lovino was starting to get creeped out. Something happened in the time he secluded himself in this library and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"What the fuck are you smiling at?" Lovino asked grumpily.

"Rien," Francis hummed beside him.

"I swear to fucking God," Lovino snapped, "if you speak French one more time, I will drive your head into that wall."

"Porquoi?" Francis' smile grew bigger and immediately darted down the hallway.

"Get back here!" Lovino snapped at him and started running after him. He knew he was headed to the kitchen, which meant he was screwed since they were surrounded by kitchen utensils. Like knives.

He caught a glance of white hair as he passed a hallway and stumbled slightly, looking back to find nothing. He shook his head, figuring it was just his imagination. Gilbert was still asleep, he had nothing to worry about.

**I find it really funny. My other two stories, I really need to think hard about and they'll take me 3 to 4 days to do. This one, all I gotta do is sit down and it all just pours out of me. I hardly even need inspiration, just a vague outline and the first sentence, then I'm on a roll and I'm finished before I know it. I don't even get up when I'm writing it. It's so weird…**

**Anyway! Gilbert's reflecting on his life thus far and is deciding he's gotta step his game up. And a sleeping Lovino may have something to do with it. We also got a glimpse at their lives five years ago when they were just high school students. Antonio still is one, but he's been making himself be held back 5 years. Can't imagine how horrible that would be.**

**Also, a shout out to Joni Smith, I am working on your one-shot, Im guessing it'll be done by the next time I update. Thanks for being patient with me!**

**Please review! It's very, very great of you!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Every other day, Lovino would be asleep in the library. There was no way he could get himself to lay down and fall asleep, so he distracted himself until he got to the point where he dropped out of exhaustion. He would spend his time either cooking or reading, though there were a few occasions where he would get wrapped up into something with a few of the other people in the house.

Every other day, Gilbert would go into the library. He would talk to himself and sometimes Lovino, though he never talked back. No one interrupted him for the hour or two he would be in there. They all still avoided him.

It was like this for a week. Gilbert would constantly look at that damn calendar on the wall, counting off the days he had left until he would be cursed to be a vampire forever. Just a couple days left…

"Twilight is probably one of the worst books I've ever tried to read," Gilbert stated, looking down at the book he had half opened in his hands. "Have you ever read it?"

Lovino didn't move.

"I figured not," Gilbert smirked to himself and shut the book. He'd only managed to read a few pages, his patience not exactly ready for reading quite yet. "What book are you reading? It's almost like you have a new one every time."

Gilbert knelt down next to where Lovino was lying on his usual couch, wincing at the sight of the bite marks. He tilted his head slightly to try to read the title of the open book. He was so lost in his own world that he didn't notice Francis and Antonio coming into the room until the door was slammed open. Lovino's eyes snapped open and Gilbert flinched. He'd been avoiding being seen by Lovino for the past week, not wanting to deal with the possibility of Lovino chewing him out. Or just having to deal with him. It wasn't like he hated him, it was just something else he couldn't deal with at the moment

"What are you two-" Gilbert turned to glare at Antonio and Francis, but he stopped when he was hit hard in the head by a book. He turned back to Lovino to find him glaring at him, book in hand. "What the hell was that for?"

"For making me fucking worry about you, retard!" Lovino yelled at him. "I've been waiting for a whole fucking week, thinking you were fucking passed out! And now you're just watching me fucking sleep?!"

Francis and Antonio started laughing and Gilbert glared at them out of the corner of his eye.

"So, you were worried about me?" Gilbert smirked.

"Fuck no!" Lovino quickly sat up straight, arms crossed over his chest.

"You're such a bad liar," Gilbert laughed.

"What happened to you being a melodramatic vampire that hates the world?" Lovino scoffed.

"I dunno," Gilbert shrugged, still kneeling down where he was.

"Whatever, get the fuck away from me," Lovino hit him with the book again and Gilbert raised an eyebrow. It didn't hurt, though he was sure that if he could feel, it would hurt like a bitch.

"That hurts, you know," Gilbert placed a hand over his chest.

"Like you even care," Lovino kicked him back and Gilbert allowed himself to fall back onto the ground. He actually found himself laughing.

"See what I mean?" Francis motioned towards him while Antonio tilted his head to the side slightly with wide eyes.

"Si, that is very odd," Antonio nodded, turning to look at Francis.

"Whatever the hell you two are talking about, that hurts, too," Gilbert sat up again.

"And how do you know it was offensive, mon ami?" Francis chuckled.

"'Cause it's you two," Gilbert laughed and slowly stood up on his own. Before he could even move more, Antonio had pulled him into a hug, talking in rapid Spanish that Gilbert couldn't even try to understand. "Mein Gott, get off," Gilbert shoved him to the side and found Antonio smiling like an idiot.

"You're starting to act like you used to!" Antonio said happily and Francis quickly came next to him, smiling happily as well.

"Right," Gilbert took a small step back. After he'd had that drink of blood, his mind was centering more around getting more. As long as he was far enough away from everyone, he was fine, but with them this close, it was getting a little harder to control thimself.

"Well, I'm going to leave this stupid love-fest before I get dragged into it," Lovino grumbled, standing up and walking towards the door. Gilbert knew he hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep from his time passed out, so he knew ahead of time when Lovino would stumble and fall. He caught him just in time.

"Maybe you should get some more sleep," Gilbert smirked and Lovino pushed him away.

"I don't need your fucking help," he snapped.

"Ja? Then prove to me that you can walk without fainting," Gilbert stated.

"I will," Lovino glared at him and succeeded in taking a few steps, but his knees buckled after a few seconds and Gilbert had to catch him once again. "Dammit…" Lovino growled, but he yawned shortly after, making it a lot less threatening.

"Screw it," Gilbert let out a sigh and swiftly picked up Lovino bridal style.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Lovino snapped at him and hit him weakly in the chest.

"I'm gonna help you get to your bed, where you should be sleeping," Gilbert shrugged, his inhuman strength making Lovino weigh practically nothing in his arms. He saw Antonio and Francis snickering to themselves like teenagers as he left, Lovino still fighting back pathetically in his arms.

"I don't need your fucking help, you damn potato bastard!" Lovino yelled and Gilbert sighed when people actually paid them attention. He'd done such a good job making sure nobody saw him so far, too… "Put me down! I'll throw a fucking potato at your head, you'd fucking like that, huh? Are you even fucking listening to me?!"

"Not at all," Gilbert sighed as they made it to where Lovino had been staying for this past week and easily opened the door.

"I don't need you to help me go to fucking bed!" Lovino snapped. "Put me down and I'll do it myself!"

"I don't think it's a good idea to let you pass out on your way here," Gilbert pointed out and set Lovino down on his bed. "Now, since you hate me so fucking much, I'll leave you alone."

With that, Gilbert turned on his heel and left the room. He let out a sigh, closing the door and running a hand through his hair. He could tell that several people were around the room, though they were hiding, probably in fear of pissing Gilbert off, which made him feel even worse. He smirked slightly. He could freak them out even more and tell them that he knew exactly where they were.

"Oi, Eliza," Gilbert turned to look at the corner to his right and Elizaveta jumped. "I know you took those pictures," he couldn't help but laugh slightly. Elizaveta hadn't really changed all that much, though Gilbert had accidentally hit her a couple times in his rage in the past.

"Do you want to see them?" she poked her head out from around the corner.

* * *

Lovino angrily crossed his arms over his chest as Gilbert left his room. Just who the hell did he think he was? Making Lovino worry about him, thinking he was passed out. Who knew how long he was actually awake for, acting like a creep and watching Lovino sleep? Then again, he did seem a lot different than the last time he saw him.

He seemed…happier? More relaxed, that was for sure. He was actually laughing and smiling, which was apparently his old normal, according to Francis and Antonio, the creeps that they were standing in the library, too. Lovino didn't know how he felt about the "normal" Gilbert, but he was sure as hell better than the one that he got to see just a few days ago. Had it already been a week?

Lovino remembered that there was only a little less than two weeks left on the calendar when he saw it last, so that meant that there was just a few days left. If Lovino was actually supposed to be his Belle, wouldn't that mean that they should be in love by now, or however the damn fairytale went?

Just leaving it to Gilbert was turning out to be a horrible idea, so maybe Lovino would just have to take some matters into his own hands. Granted, he still didn't know how he felt about the annoying idiot, but it was worth a shot. The people stuck in this mansion deserved better than just being stuck in this stupid place for their whole lives.

Lovino's mind couldn't help but wander back to Gilbert. He'd been stuck here for five years with his brother stuck out there, left only to wonder what happened to him. Not even the damn potato bastard deserved that. Lovino hoped Feliciano was doing alright on his own.

"You better not be getting into trouble, Feliciano," Lovino grumbled and couldn't stop a yawn from escaping.

This always happened when he was left alone. He couldn't stop himself from thinking and he always thought about Feliciano or other things that worried him. He never got any sleep, unless he just fell down out of exhaustion. It seemed like Gilbert had caught onto that, too.

"Fucking bastard," Lovino muttered. "He shouldn't worry about me."

* * *

**Another short chapter, sorry. It's just that with what I've planned, it's hard to get a whole 2,000 words out of it. Plus school sucks like nobody's business, so getting time to write this is hard. I've also been working on my Cosplay. And going to one of my 7 clubs, and trying to have a life…**

**Anyway, onto a lighter note, I'm going to be going to NDK Denver this weekend! Yay! I'm going to be going as Dr. Franken Stein from Soul Eater on Friday, Sapphire Birch from Pokémon Special Manga on Saturday, and Saruhiko Fushimi from K Project on Sunday, if any of you want to say hi. I promise I won't bite!**

**And please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lovino knew this was a bad idea. So why did he do it? He had no fucking clue.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he continued to look around the surprisingly well-kept garden behind the mansion. Apparently, everyone did something in it. Arthur had a few flowers and Francis made a point to show Lovino his. Elizaveta did things like make the little archways and even Antonio helped to put the path down. Lovino figured it was just something to keep them all busy.

Why was he out here? Because he knew that Gilbert would follow him out here and they would…have a talk? No, that was stupid. Lovino knew that they had to at least try to kick it into high gear if Gilbert ever had a hope of breaking their little curse. Since he was apparently just so helpless at getting Lovino to "fall in love with him," Lovino had to take matters into his own hands. Still, he didn't quite know how much he cared for the albino just yet.

"You can come out now, you know," Lovino stated with a sigh, standing underneath an archway laced with flowers that Francis had planted a while ago. It was just a wild guess that Gilbert was close by, but he had gotten good at guessing. The vampire just seemed to emanate a mood and made him easy to spot. And now that Lovino was well rested, it was very easy to sense that mood.

"I thought I was supposed to be the creepy one that knew where everyone was," Gilbert whined, popping out from behind Lovino, beyond a few hedges that Antonio had helped trim.

"What the fuck has you in such a good mood?" Lovino snapped at him, not bothering to show his intentions to him.

"I've never been back here before," Gilbert smirked, looking around at the flowers happily. It was almost cute…

"Aren't you supposed to be burning or sparkling or something?" Lovino muttered as he walked a little further in to admire a few other flowers.

"Well, apparently that doesn't happen to me," Gilbert shrugged and stretched in the sunlight. "Gott, I wish I could feel that sun right now."

"And who's fucking fault is it that you can't?" Lovino asked.

"The witch," Gilbert smirked.

"That you pissed off," Lovino rolled his eyes. This "normal" Gilbert was just annoying and immature. Though, one could argue that there was a charming air about it.

"She pretty much fucking deserved it," Gilbert shrugged and walked around Lovino to look at something on the ground. "Did they all really do this on their own?"

"That's what they told me," Lovino crossed his arms over his chest and looked in the other direction.

"Awesome," Gilbert chuckled and knelt down to delicately feel one of the flowers. "Guess it's because I'm never back here. I wonder if they're happy here."

"Don't go back to being fucking angsty, retard," Lovino snapped and hit Gilbert on the head. He blinked and paused for a second before he started laughing.

"I really gotta work on that, huh?" he laughed, holding onto his stomach.

"You need to get over yourself," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"So, hey," Gilbert stood up and leaned close to Lovino, who stepped away. "Why are you talking to me? I thought you were pissed off at me."

"You really are fucking stupid, aren't you?" Lovino grumbled and his hand subconsciously went to rub at the bite marks on his neck. Gilbert visibly winced and Lovino swiftly put his hand down. "I saw your stupid calendar, alright. I know how many days you have left."

"Is that why you stayed?" Gilbert's eyes softened.

"Of course that's why I fucking stayed," Lovino crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm these peoples' last fucking hope, apparently, so that means that I have to at least try to improve their chances."

"So…" Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you like me or something?"

"Of course not," Lovino said quickly. "I mean, I don't fucking know, or anything. It's your job to make me want to like you and you've been doing a horrible job at it. It's pathetic when someone needs help with shit like this."

"So, wait, you want me to seduce you or something?" Gilbert grinned and then started laughing once again.

"Shut the fuck up!" Lovino kicked at him and Gilbert didn't even try to block him and he fell onto the ground as he continued to laugh. "Something is seriously wrong with you."

"I haven't even tried seducing someone in five years," Gilbert cackled, holding onto his stomach as he bent over, trying to get control of himself, though it was obviously failing. "And those were all girls."

"Well, you just have to deal with it," Lovino scoffed and turned away. "It's not like I actually care what happens to you. Though I know the others don't deserve to be here just because you're a fucking dipshit."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Gilbert slowly calmed himself down. "So, what now?"

"That's your job to find out!" Lovino snapped. "Do I have to do everything for you? I'm not gonna, if that's what you think!"

"I can try some pick-up lines," Gilbert thought out loud. "Or maybe speaking in German. Girls seemed to like that."

"I'm not a fucking girl, in case you hadn't noticed!" Lovino snapped.

"Yeah, yeah," Gilbert said with a wave of his hand. "Details, details."

"That's a pretty fucking important detail!" Lovino yelled at him.

"Oh, hey!" Gilbert quickly got up. "Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?"

"Fuck no," Lovino swiftly turned around and started walking back into the mansion.

"Come on! That's a good one!" Gilbert groaned, following him close behind. "What about this one; if you were a booger, I'd pick you first."

"What the fuck?" Lovino glared at him before walking even faster.

"Do you have a map?" Gilbert asked. "Because I think I got lost in your eyes."

"What color even are my eyes?" Lovino demanded.

"Brown, duh," Gilbert said simply and Lovino faltered slightly just before he got to the door. So he did at least pay a little attention. "Here's one! How much does a polar bear weigh?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lovino snapped, wrenching the door open to go back inside.

"Just say 'what'," Gilbert sighed.

"Fine, what?" Lovino sighed.

"Enough to break the ice," Gilbert smirked.

"You're not funny," Lovino stated.

"Are you an interior decorator?"

"Why does that matter?" Lovino demanded.

"'Cause when I saw you, the room became beautiful," Gilbert's smirk could be heard in his voice as Lovino found himself turning red. "Hey, looks like I'm on the right track!" Gilbert sped up to be in front of Lovino.

"Do you have nothing better to do other than mess with me?" Lovino snapped.

"Nope," Gilbert winked. "You said I should start trying."

"That doesn't mean you should use every fucking pick-up line you know," Lovino rolled his eyes and started in a different direction.

"Baby, if you were a stop light, I'd turn red every time you passed by, just so I could stare at you a bit longer," Gilbert continued.

"Just shut the fuck up," Lovino muttered. He noticed a few people were coming out of their rooms out of curiosity. A few slipped back in at the sight of Gilbert, but a few others stayed curious.

"Babe, your beauty makes the morning sun look like the dull glimmer of the moon," Gilbert chimed behind him and Lovino felt himself get even redder.

"Wait, you're actually good at picking up girls?" Elizaveta asked.

"I'm a little busy here, Eliza," Gilbert sighed. "Fuck, I forgot my next one."

"Thank God," Lovino muttered.

"Wait!" Gilbert quickly ran in front of him so Lovino was forced to stop yet again. "If I were to ask you out on a date, would your answer be the same as the answer to this question?"

"What the fuck kind of question is that?" Lovino snapped.

"You gotta answer it," Gilbert chimed.

"And if I don't?" Lovino blinked.

"Then you're not leaving," Gilbert chimed and pinned Lovino into the nearby wall. Lovino jumped slightly, but Gilbert seemed to be in a perfect teasing mood, meaning nothing serious by it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lovino snapped.

"I would never lie in the presence of an angel," Gilbert smirked and Lovino felt himself blush even further.

"Did I miss something?" Antonio's voice whispered behind Gilbert.

"Just my heart melting because it's so hot right here," Gilbert stated, even as Lovino gave him a harsh glare.

"He might be better at this than you are, Francis," Elizaveta laughed.

"Do I sense a challenge?" Francis chuckled.

"Do I need to use my frying pan?" Elizaveta asked.

"Ugh, fine, yes," Lovino sighed.

"Wait, seriously?" Gilbert blinked.

"You aren't letting me fucking leave until I answer!" Lovino snapped.

"I didn't think you'd actually say yes," Gilbert laughed. "What the hell are we supposed to do in here?"

"Ever seen Beauty and the Beast?" Lovino asked.

"Uh, ja," Gilbert nodded.

"Then let's do that," Lovino ducked under Gilbert's arms and retreated quickly down the hall, through the crowd of laughing people.

"Ah, mon ami," he heard Francis go up to Gilbert. "It is amazing how much he has changed in such little time."

"Ja, it is," Gilbert muttered.

* * *

**Bah, lazy chapter is lazy. I'm hoping to get around to wrapping up my fanfics and so I'm kind of shortening them. I got a really good idea for a Cardverse fic, so I'm hoping to get that out soon, but I need to finish my three stories first! Why is writing so hard!**

**Also, Joni Smith, I will get your one-shot done eventually! It's just that it takes a lot out of me and I haven't had the time recently. I will get it done as soon as possible, I promise!**

**And please review! It's nice and hardly anyone does it on this story!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Why are you being so hard to deal with Lovi?" Antonio whined.

"Don't call me that," Lovino crossed his arms over his chest and sat down on his bed. Antonio was filing through some dresser inside Lovino's room, trying to find something to wear. If they were all going off the movie, then this would be the moment where everything would be decided. This ballroom dance scene.

"But it's so cute!" Antonio gushed.

"No, it's not!" Lovino snapped.

"What if Gilbert said it?" Antonio smirked and Lovino glared at him.

"Don't fuck with me," Lovino growled. "I don't even like him that way."

"Belle wasn't sure how she felt about Beast at this point either," Antonio chimed.

"Quit fucking comparing us," Lovino rolled his eyes. "I get it that we're similar, alright?"

"Fine," Antonio sighed and turned back to the dresser, filing through everything inside it. "What about this?" He pulled out a powder blue suit.

"What the fuck is wrong with a stupid black suit?" Lovino groaned. "Or do you just not have normal in stock here?"

"But just plain black is so boring," Antonio whined.

"I will hit you if you don't fucking shut up," Lovino stated.

"I'm sure I'll find something you'll like," Antonio continued rifling through the drawers.

"A black suit," Lovino sighed, resting his head in his hand. "Is that so hard to ask for?"

"Si!"

* * *

"You can't be like your normal self."

"And why not?"

"Because you're you."

"I'd say just be polite."

"He does not exactly respond to polite. His tactic earlier seemed to be working just fine. Just be straight-forward, mon ami."

"Maybe if I actually got solid advice, I would listen to you."

"And you should definitely be sure to keep those fangs away."

"I get it," Gilbert groaned, slumping against a wall in his room as Francis, Arthur, and Elizaveta finally stopped in trying to give him advice. "Calm the hell down. I didn't even ask for your help in the first place."

"But you definitely need it, mon ami," Francis patted his shoulder.

"Pretty sure I don't," Gilbert shoved his hand away. "Last time I checked, nearly all of what's been happening this past week has been all me."

"And last time I checked, he still hates you a bit," Arthur sighed.

"Besides, I don't think that you even know how to dress for the big dance scene," Elizaveta mused.

"Okay, this is not going to be anywhere close to that," Gilbert groaned. "It's not some magic Disney moment or some shit. I don't even think it'll be a dance. Maybe dinner. He wasn't exactly descriptive."

"But we're at that point of the movie anyway!" Elizaveta said happily.

"We're not gonna fall in love just by dancing," Gilbert stated.

"But you feel the sparks, do you not?" Francis asked.

"I don't know," Gilbert sighed. "We're awkward teenagers, alright? I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to know."

"He has only known the lad for a couple of days," Arthur sighed.

"Thank you," Gilbert stated. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna go run away now." With that, he easily forced his way through the three and made it out of his room. He did a quick mental check to see who was in what room and was happy when he found that the library was empty. He was able to make it there in less than a minute, easily shoving aside the heavy wood doors.

He had to admit, being alone could be nice, especially when he was beginning to have a need for blood again. It was almost as if drinking Lovino's blood just a few days ago made him want it so much more. If anyone so much as cut themselves on paper, he could smell it. It nearly drove him insane. No matter how much food he tried to eat or how much he tried to drink, he couldn't stop thinking about blood.

He slumped down on the chair that Lovino had been sleeping on for the past couple nights and was pleased to find out that those three weren't looking for him. He could just easily lean back and relax…if only Lovino weren't coming towards the library. At least he was alone. He was probably just coming here for the same reason Gilbert was; to be alone.

Lovino faltered when he opened the door and groaned as he closed it.

"What the fuck, are you just stalking me or something?" Lovino asked.

"Small house," Gilbert shrugged. "Besides, the library's awesome. I like the library."

"Says the guy that said he hadn't read for the past five years," Lovino scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So you did listen when I talked to you," Gilbert smirked and placed a hand over his heart. "I'm touched."

"Barely," Lovino snorted and stood in front of where Gilbert sat. "So, what now?"

"What?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm pretty sure this is one of the only times where we'll be alone now that the others aren't afraid to be near you," Lovino stated. "I'm guessing if we're supposed to figure out if we like each other, now would be the time."

"What did you plan on doing?" Gilbert asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"I don't fucking know!" Lovino snapped. "I'm not supposed to do all of the work here!"

"Then, let's dance," Gilbert smirked, standing up.

"Are you serious?" Lovino deadpanned.

"Ja, I am," Gilbert nodded simply.

"Do you even know how to fucking dance?" Lovino asked.

"I can do without the curse words, thank you," Gilbert laughed. "And, yes, I was forced to learn how to slow dance in some high school PE class."

"I highly doubt that," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Wanna bet?" Gilbert smirked.

"Bet what?" Lovino asked.

"I'll make you dinner if I can't," Gilbert shrugged.

"And if you can?" Lovino asked. "What do I have to do?"

"Kiss me," Gilbert gave a wicked smile.

"Fuck no," Lovino snapped.

"Why not?" Gilbert laughed. "Aren't we supposed to fall desperately in love with each other or some shit?"

"You are fully aware that I'm not falling for that Disney bullshit," Lovino stated.

"Disney's overrated," Gilbert patted him on the shoulder. "I'd say we give it our best shot. And if the kiss doesn't work then we know that my curse isn't broken and we can go on with our lives."

"Fine," Lovino sighed. "But one kiss is all you're gonna get out of me."

"Ja, ja, sure thing," Gilbert laughed. "But what about if it does break my little curse?"

"Then we'll find out after that happens," Lovino stated.

"As long as you've got it all planned out," Gilbert smirked and held his hands up around Lovino in a dance position. "Shall we?"

"Why do I have to be the fucking girl?" Lovino grumbled as he joined his right hand with Gilbert's and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Because you're shorter," Gilbert winked, placing his left hand on Lovino's side.

"Watch what you say while I'm this close to you," Lovino stated.

"You wound me, good sir," Gilbert laughed.

"Don't you need some sort of music for this stupid thing?" Lovino sighed, looking away from Gilbert awkwardly.

"Not if you're as awesome as I am at it," Gilbert smirked and took the first step. Lovino followed him. "See? I can dance just fine."

"This is stupid," Lovino sighed, following Gilbert's steps easily. "And it's fucking awkward without any music."

"What happened to not cursing?" Gilbert laughed.

"I never agreed to stop cursing," Lovino glared at him.

"But you sound so much more sophisticated without cursing," Gilbert teased.

"Are you saying I sound stupid?" Lovino deadpanned.

"Of course not, my dear," Gilbert chuckled.

"I'm not your fucking dear," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"We'll find out after that kiss you promised me," Gilbert smirked and Lovino turned a light red. "How adorable," he teased.

"Shut the fuck up," Lovino snapped.

"You're no fun," Gilbert laughed.

"It's not exactly my goal," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well-" Gilbert froze. Antonio had apparently gone into the kitchen, giving up on looking for Lovino, and cut himself with some knife. Immediately, a craving for blood, especially Lovino's, came into his mind. He pushed Lovino away and quickly backed up to the bookshelf furthest away.

"What the fuck was that?" Lovino crossed his arms over his chest impatiently.

"Don't worry about it," Gilbert muttered. He gauged how long it would take him to get to the door from where he was, but that also required going past Lovino. He couldn't trust himself enough to go past him.

"Does this have something to do with blood?" Lovino asked.

"No," Gilbert lied.

"Look," Lovino sighed. "I know mine was the first blood you've ever tasted. And, knowing you, you haven't had any blood after that. Right now, you look like some hungry animal."

"Then you should just get away," Gilbert stated.

"Vampires need blood, dipshit," Lovino rolled his eyes and started walking towards him. "Just take some of mine."

"No," Gilbert said easily. "Remember how I nearly killed you last time?"

"Si, but now I trust you," Lovino stopped in front of him and Gilbert gritted his teeth.

"You should know full well that you can't," Gilbert stated.

"Then I'm even more of an idiot than you are," Lovino stated.

"No way in hell," Gilbert shook his head. "I'm not drinking any more blood. Ever."

"Stop being so fucking difficult," Lovino rolled his eyes. "I trust you and that's all that matters. You need blood and, luckily, I happen to have some."

"No," Gilbert glared at him.

"I'm not going to give you that kiss until you do it," Lovino stated. "I don't want to see you killing yourself over the fact that you don't trust yourself. You need to man up. Since you're apparently so dead set on being a fucking vampire, then you're going to be following their rules. Just drink my blood."

"What happens if I don't stop?" Gilbert asked.

"I know you will, idiot," Lovino scoffed. "Just do it now and get it over with and I'll prove that I'm right."

Gilbert wanted to say yes more than anything. Just a taste of blood would probably satisfy him for at least a couple days. But this was Lovino. Last time he'd tasted blood, he nearly drank him dry, and he didn't want to risk killing Lovino again. He cared about him too much.

"I can't," Gilbert shook his head.

"I know you can," Lovino sighed. "It's just that you won't because you too fucking scared to let yourself. I'm not moving until you do it."

"I can easily move you out of the way," Gilbert tried.

"With that look, I know that you getting that close to me will make you drink my blood," Lovino said. "Just do it and save us the time."

"No," Gilbert shook his head and moved to push Lovino aside, prove that he could actually get past him, but that proved to be a bad idea and he froze at the smell of blood so close to him. Those bite marks were still ever present on his neck and Gilbert bristled slightly.

"You're such a fucking idiot," Lovino let out a sigh and tilted his neck slightly.

"You're sure you trust me?" Gilbert asked.

"Yes, now shut the fuck up and get it over with," Lovino stated.

Gilbert nodded slowly and bit down as lightly as he could bring himself to, though Lovino still flinched a little. The second he tasted blood, he nearly lost it. He had no idea that his need for blood was this bad and he quickly and easily continued drinking. He could have kept going, but he suddenly remembered what he was doing, whose blood he was drinking. He somehow willed himself to stop and slowly pulled back, feeling blood still running down his mouth slightly.

Luckily, Lovino was still standing and still staring at him.

"You have some blood on your mouth," Lovino stated.

"Ja, sorry," Gilbert muttered and whipped his mouth. "Thanks, by the way, I needed that."

"Yes, you did, dipshit," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"So, about that kiss," Gilbert smirked.

"Not when you have my blood around your mouth," Lovino stated simply.

"Party pooper," Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest.

* * *

**I debated on ending this with a cliffhanger, but I decided to be nice. Plot wise, we all know what's gonna happen next, or do we? I'm just that cruel, aren't I? Well, anyway, they had a nice, cute, fluffy scene! And I think the library is a better place for them to have this nice, close moment than some stuffy ballroom. That's just not their style.**

**Anywho, please review! It's totally awesome!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Lovino let out a sigh. In truth, perhaps Gilbert had taken a little too much of his blood. He felt a little dizzy and it was a little hard to focus, but Gilbert had stopped. That was enough to make Lovino trust him. He was still standing (barely) and that was a good sign.

Currently, the two were sitting on one of the couches in the library, Lovino watching as Gilbert tried to read a novel. It was rather entertaining, to say the least, and sitting down felt nice since he was still fairly light-headed. He was not going to let it catch on, though. Gilbert's mood had sky-rocketed, knowing he could control himself better than the first time.

Lovino didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous for the kiss he had promised Gilbert. He didn't know why, but he just was.

"Is that even a fucking word?" Gilbert narrowed his eyes at the page.

"If it's in a book, then I'd bet on it being a word," Lovino stated.

"Then why the hell doesn't it make any sense?" Gilbert whined, turning the book sideways.

"I don't think that's going to help anything, idiot," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Do you know what that word is?" Gilbert asked.

"Si," Lovino nodded.

"Then why won't you help me?" Gilbert whined.

"Use fucking context clues or some shit," Lovino sighed. "You can't rely on me to help you learn how to read again."

"It's not my fault I haven't had to do it in years," Gilbert pouted. "Incoming Spaniard."

"Well, isn't that fucking great?" Lovino grumbled. A while ago, Gilbert had said Antonio had left, but now he was apparently back.

The doors burst open and Antonio stopped where he was, panting as he put his hands on his knees and bent over to catch his breath.

"Fuck, what happened?" Lovino stood up. Not that he was worried or anything, but Antonio looked genuinely scared.

"It's Feli," Antonio panted and Lovino froze. Gilbert stood up now, setting the book aside.

"What about him?" Lovino pressed.

"Well," Antonio looked up at the two nervously. "He's horrible at keeping secrets. He told…pretty much everyone what happened. I figured I didn't have to tell you, Gil, since what you didn't know couldn't hurt you."

"Keep going," Gilbert stated.

"Si," Antonio nodded, seeming to have most of his breath back. "Well, a lot of people, mainly Alfred, thought he was crazy. I didn't think they'd do anything, but Alfred called an asylum."

"What?!" Lovino, despite his light-headedness, was quickly in front of Antonio. "When did this happen?"

"Today," Antonio muttered. "I got a text from Alfred saying he would do it and I went to go see what was going on and…" Antonio stopped, biting his lip.

"Spit it out!" Lovino demanded. If something bad happened to Feliciano, it was all his fault. He was the older brother, dammit! He was supposed to protect him and if he failed…that wasn't an option.

"Someone's gonna come get him at your apartment soon," Antonio muttered.

"No," Lovino shook his head. This couldn't be real. Feliciano couldn't be sent to some asylum, just because some jocks thought he was crazy because he saw a vampire.

"You should go," Gilbert said behind him.

"Really?" Lovino asked, turning towards him.

"Ja," Gilbert nodded. "If that were Luddie, I wouldn't even have to think. You should go."

"Grazi," Lovino nodded to him and turned back to Antonio. "Let's go now."

"Si," Antonio nodded feverishly and they both started running towards the exit of the house. Lovino was still very light-headed, but he tried to get a grip of himself as he ran. If Feliciano was about to be in trouble, his lack of blood could be dealt with later.

It was nearly dark outside as they ran through the streets. Antonio obviously knew where he was going and Lovino followed him quickly behind. He and his brother may not be very good at athletics, but they could run if they wanted to. It wasn't very long, maybe 15 minutes, before they were in the apartment complex Lovino had called home just a few weeks ago. Antonio said he was going to stay down on the street to watch for anything.

Lovino ignored his growing fatigue and light-headedness as he climbed up the stairs to his apartment and took out the key he always made sure to keep on him every time he'd changed an outfit. He shoved it into the key slot and slammed open the door. The apartment was dark.

"Feliciano?" Lovino called into the room, turning on the lights and temporarily blinding him. His vision swam slightly and he nearly tripped over something as he walked further in. Feliciano was nowhere to be seen. Lovino's heart practically stopped.

"So, you're finally back, huh?" a voice asked behind Lovino and he twirled around, which also came with a bout of nausea as he stumbled slightly. Alfred was leaning against the doorframe to the apartment. "We've all been wondering where you went off to."

"I was busy," Lovino stated.

"Yeah, well, you freaked out Feli," Alfred sighed. "He's been spouting things about vampires for weeks now."

"My brother's not fucking crazy, if that's what you think," Lovino snapped and tried to step towards him, but his vision blacked out for a small second and he decided staying put was a better idea.

"You haven't seen him this whole time," Alfred shook his head. "He came in one day saying you were in danger and that we all needed to help you. He wouldn't drop the subject."

"Trust me, there's a story to all of that," Lovino sighed. "Now, tell me where my brother is so I can prove he's not insane."

"Don't tell me you're going a little crazy, too," Alfred laughed. "Hey, I'm the hero, I wanna help you, so don't be scared. Aren't places like that supposed to help you?"

"When you actually are fucking crazy!" Lovino snapped. "My brother and I aren't anywhere close to-" Lovino tried walking forward again and this time, everything stayed black.

* * *

"Shit," Alfred muttered as he saw Lovino collapse, barely able to catch him in time. Lovino laid lifelessly limp and Alfred started to freak out. He was about to take Lovino's pulse, but stopped when he saw two odd bumps right in the middle of his neck. If he didn't know any better, he would think they were the work of a vampire.

Alfred pressed his fingers onto Lovino's neck, hoping to find a pulse. It was weak and Alfred could guess that it was because he might have lost a lot of blood. He looked around for any kind of injury on Lovino, but he found nothing but those marks on his neck.

"Holy shit, no way," Alfred shook his head.

"Hey, Al, what's taking so long?" Matthew stepped into the room and paused in the doorway at the sight of the two.

"I don't think Feli's crazy, dude," Alfred muttered.

"What?" Matthew asked, stepping closer.

"Check this out," Alfred motioned for him to come closer. He pointed to the bite marks. "Doesn't that scream vampire to you?"

"There's probably more of a reasonable explanation," Matthew rationalized.

"His pulse is low, he passed out, he has no major injuries, and these marks that are so perfectly vampire?" Alfred asked. "Come on, dude! If there's actually a vampire in this city that's willing to drink Lovino's blood, then we're all in big trouble. What if Lovino just barely got away and the vampire is out for more people's blood?"

"Does this mean we should call Mr. Braginski again and talk about Feli?" Matthew asked.

"Later," Alfred said. "I'm sure he's fine. We have a raging vampire on the loose."

"What's going on?" Antonio stepped into the room and his jaw dropped at the sight of Lovino.

"There's a vampire in this city and he nearly drank Lovino dry!" Alfred said. "I gotta be a hero and stop him."

"That's not a good idea," Antonio shook his head.

"And how do you know?" Alfred asked.

"If this is really a vampire, which I'm sure it's not," Antonio chuckled awkwardly and it was obvious to Alfred that he was hiding something, "then you probably wouldn't stand a chance."

"Of course I could," Alfred stated. "I can get some garlic and some stakes and I'll be fine."

"And people say I'm an idiot," Antonio sighed.

"What are you hiding?" Alfred asked.

"Nothing," Antonio shrugged. "I am hiding nothing."

"Come to think of it, you're hardly around at all," Alfred stated. He still hadn't moved from Lovino's side. This was probably the closest he'd gotten to him ever and it was kind of nice. You know, apart from Lovino being passed out and all that. "I think you are hiding something."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Alfred," Antonio shook his head. "Look, if Lovi is passed out, shouldn't we get him help?"

"He'll be fine," Alfred stated. "Besides, if there's a vampire on the loose, a place to get blood is definitely not a safe place to be."

"Don't do anything stupid, Alfred," Antonio begged. "There's no vampire, let's just get Lovino some help and we can talk about this some more later."

"I'll get him help," Alfred nodded. "Only after you tell me what's up."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Antonio sighed. "If this is all that's keeping us here, Lovino could be in some serious danger."

"Tell me what you're hiding," Alfred pressed.

"Al, maybe we should listen to him and get Lovino some help, what if he is in danger?" Matthew asked.

"Not until I figure this out," Alfred stated. "You know something about this vampire, don't you?"

"A couple hours ago, you thought vampires didn't exist," Antonio sighed. "What happened?"

"I have proof right in front of me!" Alfred motioned to the unconscious Lovino.

"He is not proof of anything besides the fact that he is clumsy," Antonio sighed.

"Why have you been held back for so long?" Alfred narrowed his eyes at him.

"Because I'm an idiot," Antonio rolled his eyes. "Can we move on now and get Lovino some help?"

Alfred's eyes widened at a sudden realization he had. "Does this have anything to do with Ludwig's older brother that went missing?"

"No," Antonio shook his head. "I have no idea, okay?"

"Weren't you friends with him?" Alfred asked. "I heard that everyone close to him disappeared, too. Except for you. And then you just happen to start failing your last grade in school? I don't think this is all coincidence."

"Anything is possible in the world," Antonio shrugged.

Alfred didn't budge, though. He knew something was up. The whole story of Ludwig's brother and all of his close friends all disappearing overnight was too weird to be something considered normal. Maybe Lovino got involved with them… Maybe one of them was the vampire!

"Is one of them the vampire?" Alfred asked.

"No, of course not," Antonio groaned.

"I think they are," Alfred stated.

"Well, no one is," Antonio shrugged.

"Someone's gotta be the vampire," Alfred rationalized. "Hey, there's that really creepy mansion that no one goes near. They could be in there, all kidnapped by the vampire."

"He wouldn't do something like that," Antonio groaned.

"Who wouldn't?" Alfred smirked, proud of the fact that he was able to make Antonio crack. Antonio, on the other hand, winced. Alfred had asked too many questions in a row and it had messed him up.

"Fine," Antonio sighed. "If I tell you all of this, will you promise to help Lovino?"

"Yeah, sure," Alfred stated. "Now, tell me."

"Fine," Antonio knelt down next to him. "It all started with this witch…"

* * *

**God, it took forever to get Antonio to crack! I needed him to, but he just wouldn't! And, in the meantime, poor Lovino is passed out from not having enough blood in his system because he's just too nice to Gilbert. And our proud Gaston has reappeared in the story! Anyone who's seen Beauty and the Beast has seen this part coming, but I hope I came up with a nice twist to it that works with my story.**

**We're gonna be getting into some action soon, so look forward to that!**

**And please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"This really isn't a good idea," Antonio tried to somehow change Alfred's mind as they were walking to the old mansion that had always creeped Alfred out since it randomly popped up in the city. Lovino's condition had improved while Antonio was explaining that insane story Alfred still couldn't bring himself to believe…mostly. Antonio had gone on and on about how that vampire wouldn't hurt anyone and how Alfred should just let it drop. But he wasn't about to.

Since Lovino was doing better, Alfred was carrying him on his back. Antonio had accidentally let it slip that Lovino mattered a lot to the vampire. Of course, Alfred would be keeping Lovino safe, but he did need any advantage he could get if he was going up against a vampire. And, of course, Matthew was staying back, saying that he would call the cops or something if Alfred wasn't back in a couple of hours.

"Obviously this vampire isn't a very good guy if he's nearly drunk Lovino dry twice," Alfred stated.

"If Lovino was in real danger, wouldn't he have said so when he saw you, before he passed out?" Antonio pressed. "Wouldn't he have said something to me when we were on our way?"

"Vampires have that weird, hypnosis ability, right?" Alfred glanced back at Antonio, who let out an exasperated sigh. "He could have made Lovino act like everything was normal."

"You don't understand anything in this situation," Antonio pressed.

"What I understand is that there is a vampire in this city who can't control himself around blood to the point where he's nearly killed people," Alfred stated, probably sounding the most serious he ever had in his life. "I'm a hero, right? What kind of hero would I be if I let someone like that just hang around the city I live in?"

"Just go through this calmly, amigo," Antonio sighed and Lovino moved slightly in his sleep. Alfred stopped walking, looking at the creepy mansion that was lying out of time in the city. Even now, it sent a shiver down his spine. But he just had to try to suck it up for now. He had to be a hero, right?

"I think I am," Alfred shrugged, looking at the mansion. He only had a vague plan, but he was positive that things would work out. You know, pretty positive.

"The entire time I've been around Gilbert, he's never tried to drink my blood," Antonio stood in front of Alfred. "He's never wanted to cause any arm."

"But he has caused harm, that's the problem," Alfred argued. "It's classic comic book plot. A guy tries to be good, but he's got something inside him that makes that impossible. He's gonna turn bad, no matter what."

"This isn't some comic book," Antonio argued. "This is something you need to be a part of to really understand. If you try to make Gilbert your enemy, you're going to die."

"Then he isn't this nice guy you're making him out to be," Alfred stated.

"It's called anger management issues, retard," Lovino muttered and Alfred nearly jumped at his sudden participation in their conversation. He glanced over at Lovino, who seemed to be fighting to stay awake, his eyes staying closed far longer than they were open.

"Lovino?" Alfred asked, too confused to say anything else. It seemed like he would be out for a while, but apparently something mattered a lot to him. Could it have been the vampire?

"Don't be fucking idiot," Lovino muttered, his head barely able to stay up.

"See, even he knows that this is a bad idea," Antonio sighed. "Let's just walk away and figure this out in a different way."

"No way," Alfred shook his head. "I'm not backing down from this. If this vampire has hurt people before, he's gonna do it again. I need to make sure it stops here."

"Fucking…" Lovino trailed off, falling back asleep.

"Don't do this," Antonio shook his head.

"I gotta," Alfred nodded and started walking towards the mansion. Antonio seemed to know he couldn't stop him, but decided to follow him.

"He probably already knows you're here," Antonio sighed. "And he'll probably be pissed off. Since he can't leave the house, you'll be the safest here. Please just go back."

"Nope," Alfred shook his head, adjusting Lovino on his back slightly as he stopped in front of the door. He took a deep breath. He could do this, he was sure about it. Vampires had their classic weaknesses, though the sunlight wasn't one of those with this one. But there was also stakes and even the possibility that he couldn't leave this mansion and still be in top condition. And then there was Lovino.

He still wasn't quite sure what was going on between them -Antonio had been a bit vague- but he could fill in the gaps and figure it out more or less on his own. Sure, for a while, he figured Lovino would make a good boyfriend, but it wasn't like he was seriously in love and out for revenge or anything. He was doing this for the safety of everyone. Any hero who heard that there was a vampire that couldn't control his anger in his city would try to go after him. Alfred had to kill him.

Lovino was actually fairly light and so he was easy to keep up with one hand as Alfred tried the door and found it unlocked, swinging easily into a hallway that was lit by quite a few lights. Antonio simply let out a sigh as Alfred slowly stepped in. He half expected something to jump out at him the second he stepped over the threshold, but nothing came out. The mansion was actually a hell of a lot less creepy on the inside and people suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"Is it Lovino?" someone asked as two people, both of them blonde, but one with longer hair. At first, they both looked disappointed, but then they looked confused.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" the blonde with shorter hair crossed his arms over his chest and Alfred stopped. This definitely wasn't what he was expecting. Plus, this man had a British accent.

"This is Alfred," Antonio sighed next to him. "He's here to do something really stupid…"

The two blondes shared a look with each other and the one with shorter hair let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What are you doing with Lovino?" the one with longer hair asked and Alfred was confused by his French accent. There were a lot of people from different cultures in this city, though…

"I'm here to kill the vampire," Alfred stated evenly.

"You have got to be joking," the one with shorter hair shook his head.

"If you just give them a few more days together, he will be a human, sure enough," the one with longer hair sighed.

"I can't do that," Alfred shook his head.

"Trust me, I have tried," Antonio let out a sigh.

"Kid," another voice came out of nowhere and Alfred stiffened. The two blondes moved out of the way and an albino stepped into the front hallway. When he spoke, Alfred could see fangs, and he immediately knew that this was the vampire. He looked beyond pissed off and Alfred was tempted to start running there. But he was a hero and he couldn't even run if he was scared. "I'm gonna count to three. By the time I get to one, you're gonna get out before I make you."

"I can definitely see the nice guy side you were talking about, Toni," Alfred stated sarcastically.

"One," the vampire glared at him, his ruby eyes practically one fire, but Alfred decided to stand his ground. Something in his gut told him that the vampire wouldn't hurt him if Lovino was this close and could possibly get hurt, too.

"Don't be an idiot," the short haired blonde sighed.

"Two."

"You will not be able to win this fight," the long haired blonde stated.

"Try me," Alfred stated.

"Three," the vampire gritted his teeth and, before Alfred could even blink, their faces were only inches apart. The vampire gripped onto his shirt and pulled him forward slightly, his other hand raised in a fist behind his head. Alfred had to fight to not flinch at how fast he was and stood his ground. "This is your last chance."

"What, you're not gonna bite me?" Alfred snapped.

That statement alone seemed to set the vampire over the edge, but rather than the fist hitting his face like Alfred thought, it slammed right into his stomach with such inhuman strength that it made Alfred practically keel over. As he tried to gain his breath back after the punch, he also struggled to keep Lovino well balanced so that he didn't fall.

"Don't piss me off," the vampire growled and Alfred shivered slightly. "Now, leave." In a second, Alfred was pushed outside of the mansion and he stumbled backwards, barely able to keep upright. Lovino was still sound asleep on his back, though he had moved slightly.

"Make me," Alfred tried to make himself seem braver than he felt inside, which was absolutely terrified to his core. He hadn't expected to see an albino, he'd always heard that Ludwig's brother was blonde like him, but apparently that weird vampire spell had done something to him. He was practically radiating hate and Alfred knew he had to pick what he said and did very carefully.

At Alfred's words, the vampire gritted his teeth, his hands balled into fists so tight that they were shaking. But he glanced at Lovino and obviously winced, relaxing slightly. He looked at the ground.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, just leave," the vampire stated.

"But you have hurt people," Alfred said resolutely. "And I'm here to make sure you can't do something like what you did to Lovino again."

"Do you think I did any of that on purpose?!" the vampire snapped and pushed Alfred again, apparently hoping to get him away, but this time Alfred did lose his balance.

He was so surprised that he didn't think to fall sideways and landed on top of Lovino, who made a pained noise. The vampire's expression changed from surprised to concerned to extremely pissed off. In a second, Alfred was picked up by two hands clamped over his neck and held slightly above the ground. Immediately, his air was cut off and he started panicking.

"Now look what you fucking did," the vampire stated.

* * *

**I have no idea why this took so long for me to write… Maybe it's partly because this bit wasn't well planned out in my head. Words from experience; make sure your ideas are realistic before you start to rely on them.**

**Anyway, Gilbert isn't overreacting to that fall because something did happen to Lovino, Alfred just couldn't hear it while Gilbert could. Next chapter will be back in Lovino's perspective and shit goes down.**

**I'm on a week-long break right now, so I'm hoping to get a lot of writing done. I'm hoping to finish this story this week actually, so look out for a lot of updates!**

**And please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Lovino woke up to the feeling of being crushed, swiftly followed by a massive pain in his arm and his skin scraping against something hard. The thing crushing him was swiftly lifted off of him and he couldn't bring himself to focus enough to process the words being spoken around him.

Slowly, though, he came to when a familiar face was in front of him and he was moved to sit up, which caused quite some pain in his right arm.

"Lovino, are you alright?" the person asked. Lovino's mind slowly cleared as he stared at the person in front of him. A mess of blonde hair slowly came into clarity along with green eyes and massive eyebrows. It was Arthur…

"My arm fucking hurts," Lovino muttered, cradling his arm slightly.

"He does seem very out of it," Francis' voice stated above them.

"Apparently, Gilbert drank some more of his blood a little bit ago and it was too much," Antonio sighed.

"Wait a second…" Lovino tried to get himself to focus, but he was still a little fuzzy and light-headed. He remembered talking with Alfred…and then there was something he hardly remembered a little later, but the gaps between then and now were massive and there was simply nothing. "How the fuck did I get here?"

"That boy, Alfred, carried you," Arthur sighed. "He challenged Gilbert and he fell on top of you. Gilbert lost himself in rage, I'm guessing because you are bleeding now."

"Is your arm alright?" Francis asked, kneeling down next to him and offered to look at the arm.

"Gilbert is taking his anger out on Alfred?" Lovino demanded, practically ignoring Francis and trying to stand, but he was too dizzy to do it. "Dammit…" His arm was throbbing and parts of his face stung, but he supposed that was the part he was bleeding from.

"I have to say, I feel bad for Alfred," Antonio sighed. "I don't know what Gilbert's going to do to him."

"Imagine what he'll do to himself when he finds out what he did to Alfred," Lovino said through gritted teeth as he tried to stand up again, but this time both Arthur and Francis tried to stop him.

"Nothing can be helped now," Arthur shook his head.

"I'm going to fucking talk to him," Lovino snapped, his head slowly getting clearer and finally managed to stand up, though his ground was shaky, and he still held his arm close to himself. "Get it through his thick fucking skull that he shouldn't be pissed off. And get it through Alfred's thick fucking skull to get the fuck out."

"Your curse words are usually a bit more imaginative," Francis chuckled.

"Yeah, well I'm a bit light-headed, deal with it," Lovino snapped and stumbled slightly to where he was pretty sure Gilbert would have taken Alfred. There was only one section of the house where no one would dare go into to interrupt him. His room.

"Here, let me help you," Antonio rushed to his side and helped Lovino stabilize himself, though he made sure to keep clear of Lovino's injured arm. Lovino had never broken a limb before, but he imagined that this must be what it would feel like. "You know, you don't have to do this."

"This is Beauty and the Beast, right?" Lovino asked and Antonio nodded. "Which makes Alfred Gaston. This would be the part that Gaston dies. Alfred may be an idiot, but he shouldn't die. And if Gilbert really does kill him, then he'll think he really is a monster."

"But getting in the way of Gilbert when he is really mad is not a good idea," Antonio sighed.

"I've done it before, haven't I?" Lovino asked and Antonio nodded with a sigh.

"He probably wouldn't even hurt you in the first place," Antonio sighed and they started down the only hallway that had stayed dark, the one that lead to Gilbert's room. Lovino bit his lip. Gilbert probably wouldn't hurt him, even if he got close. Did that mean that they were actually becoming like Belle and the Beast? Lovino really hoped he would be able to stop those two before "Gaston" died or "the Beast" nearly died.

Once they made it to the door, Lovino nearly jumped at a loud bang that hit against the door. There was muffled talking that, if he tried to focus on, he would get dizzy. Antonio opened the door and the talking stopped.

Lovino tried to get his eyes to focus in the room, but it was hard and he got very light-headed very quickly. From what he could tell, Alfred was on one side of the room, obviously trying to distance himself as much as possible from Gilbert, with what looked like a shattered piece of the bed board in his hands. Gilbert's eyes seemed to be practically glowing in the darkness of the room and Lovino could tell that his body was stiff. And he was looking right at Lovino.

Alfred glanced over at Lovino with a surprised and slightly scared look.

"You should get the hell out of here," Alfred muttered and, seeing as Gilbert was still staring at Lovino, he ran towards him with his shattered piece of bed board. With a sigh, Gilbert easily gripped onto the wood and forced his attention to turn back to Alfred.

"You don't even know if that's going to work," Gilbert stated and pushed Alfred back.

"Are you two fucking kidding me?" Lovino snapped and Gilbert obviously winced. "Alfred, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Being a hero," Alfred panted. Obviously, he'd been trying a lot harder than Gilbert was.

"You're being an idiot," Lovino deadpanned and tried to walk into the room without Antonio's help, but his legs wound up giving out underneath him and he fell onto the ground. "Fucking legs…"

"Just listen to Lovino and get out," Gilbert stated.

"No way in Hell," Alfred shook his head. He started walking, but slipped up slightly and Lovino heard the rip of what sounded like paper. He glanced at Alfred's foot and found the calendar, which only had a couple more days left on it, lying on the floor and partially ripped in half.

Gilbert let out a pained noise and, when Lovino glanced back at him, he started coughing up blood.

"Wh-what the fuck?" Gilbert managed out between coughs and he looked about ready to fall onto the ground as well.

"So this calendar's your weak spot, huh?" Alfred asked and used his foot to completely rip off the part that his foot was on. Gilbert tried to hold back an obvious pained noise and coughed out even more blood. Lovino had never even considered the calendar, or the rose, to possibly be a weak spot for the Beast.

Before Lovino could even blink, Alfred came towards Gilbert again with his "wooden stake" and this time Gilbert couldn't stop him. The wood pierced directly into his chest and Gilbert's eyes went wide as he stumbled back slightly before falling onto the ground. He was in obvious pain, but it was fading. His eyes locked with Lovino's shocked ones as they slowly closed and Gilbert went limp.

"No!" Lovino tried to scramble to his feet, forgetting his dizziness and his injured arm, but quickly discovered that they hadn't gone away and fell back onto the ground. "Gilbert!" Lovino slowly worked his way over to Lovino. Alfred tried to step in his way, which resulted in Lovino giving him a harsh glare. "You even fucking try and I will rip off your head," he growled and continued his way to beside Gilbert.

"What did you do?" Antonio asked in a quiet voice.

"I-I killed him," Alfred's voice was a mix of shock and happiness that made Lovino feel sick.

"Gilbert, don't you even fucking try to die on me!" Lovino snapped and tried to shake Gilbert, as if that would wake him from his sleep. Lovino ripped the shattered piece of wood out of Gilbert's chest. There was no blood coming from the wound, but he was sure that was because the only blood Gilbert might have had inside of him came out when he coughed it up. "Idiot! Get the fuck up right now!" Lovino tried to punch at Gilbert to see if that would get him to wake up, but it wasn't working. He refused to acknowledge the tears that were coming down his face.

"Wait, what?" Alfred asked, dumbfounded.

"I said it before, si?" Antonio sighed sadly, sounding about on the verge of tears as Lovino furiously tried to come up with some way to bring the albino back. "He wasn't in any danger in his time here. They cared for each other."

"Come back, right now!" Lovino said through gritted teeth. Watching the limp body and knowing that it wasn't because he was knocked out made his heart practically rip in two. Gilbert may have been an obnoxious idiot, but Lovino found himself falling for him, oddly enough. Just seeing the man die made him realize how he really felt a lot quicker than it would have if Gilbert was still alive.

"T-Ti amo," Lovino closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to look at the body anymore.

* * *

**And I'm ending this chapter here. I'm just so cruel, aren't I? Well, y'all can get over it. If any of you have seen Beauty and the Beast, you'll know what happens next…or do you? Lovino's just a bit distracted at the moment and can't think straight enough to realize that Gilbert will, probably, be coming back to life.**

**Also, with that calendar thing, I had to wonder when I watched Beauty and the Beast. Sure the rose is important for the spell and everything, but what would happen if it got hurt, like the stem got ripped or a petal was actually torn off? As a result, with the calendar being torn, it was kind of like a weakness Gilbert himself didn't even know about. I dunno, I thought it was a good idea, what about you guys?**

**Also, Joni Smith, the person I promised that one-shot to so long ago, I'm still working on it. For some reason, I've got writer's block for it! But I will get it done eventually! You have my word! (Maybe it'll be done by Christmas… Just kidding! I'll get it done sooner than that!)**

**So, please review! It's awesome!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Ti amo…"

Lovino hated the fact that he was crying. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get himself to stop. It was Gilbert. He wasn't supposed to die. He couldn't die. There was no way his ego could allow him to be asleep for this long and not talk or say how awesome he was. Yet, there he was. He was calm, which Lovino knew didn't fit his personality well at all.

Lovino closed his eyes in an attempt to get himself to stop looking at Gilbert. There was no way that he could possibly look at him, dead, for any longer. Antonio and Alfred were talking about something, but Lovino easily tuned them out. He would deal with Alfred later, for now, he had to try to get over Gilbert dying. Or quite possibly just shove the thought to a far corner of his mind so he wouldn't have to think about it again.

Suddenly, a bright light shone and Lovino could see it clearly, even with his eyes closed. Lovino blinked open his eyes. The light was coming from Gilbert and Lovino had to look away, it grew so bright.

"What the hell?" Alfred muttered. The second the light dimmed, Lovino looked back to Gilbert. The albino seemed slightly less pale and the hole in his chest was gone. His eyes were still closed and he was still.

Lovino mentally hit himself for forgetting about Beauty and the Beast. The curse had to do with someone falling in love with him…and Lovino had admitted it before the time for the curse had run out.

Gilbert's eyes snapped open and he sucked in a breath. He sat upright, a hand on his chest, his face confused as he panted for breath.

"I have to breathe," Gilbert muttered, a smile coming onto his face. Lovino swiftly raised his hand and slapped Gilbert across the face as hard as he could. Gilbert, held onto his check, his smile growing. "That actually hurt…"

"You fucking bastard!" Lovino snapped. "How could you let me think you actually fucking died!"

"What?" Alfred muttered.

"Why do we have to follow Beauty and the Beast so closely?" Gilbert started laughing and Lovino gritted his teeth. Naturally, he was happy that Gilbert was still alive, but he felt so stupid, thinking that Gilbert had really died. And now he was talking his death as some kind of a joke! "I was hoping we could break that curse before I died, you know."

"Yeah, well, we obviously aren't that lucky," Lovino scoffed.

Gilbert's smirk grew and, before Lovino could ask him why, he was pulled into a kiss. Lovino jumped, but he did, eventually, kiss him back. Though, when they pulled back, Lovino punched Gilbert right in the chest.

"What the hell was that for?" Gilbert laughed, apparently reveling in the fact that he could actually be hurt. Did that mean…he was human now?

"Dying," Lovino said pointedly.

"That's technically not my fault," Gilbert stated, glancing over at Alfred and then focused on Antonio. "Hey, Toni! I have to breathe again!"

"So the curse was broken," Antonio grew a massive smile and Lovino let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"So, wait, you're not a…vampire anymore?" Alfred asked. "How does that happen?"

"If you had fucking listened for two seconds," Lovino rolled his eyes, "I would have been able to tell you that this is all just like Beauty and the Beast."

Alfred registered this for a moment before his eyes went wide. "Wait a minute! I was a Disney villain?! That's totally not heroic, dude!"

"Well, you made a weak Gaston," Gilbert shrugged. "Kudos to actually killing me, though, kid."

"And you're human now, right?" Alfred studied him carefully.

"Well, let's see," Gilbert smirked. "I have to breathe, I can feel my heart beating again, I can feel pain, I can no longer smell the blood on Lovino's face, and I can't hear the conversations going on around the house. So, ja, I would think that I'm not a vampire anymore."

"That means the others can finally leave the mansion," Antonio smiled.

"Well, now I feel like an idiot," Alfred grumbled, leaning against the wall angrily.

"That's because you are one," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Oh, hey, we should probably get you to a doctor or something about that broken arm, "Gilbert looked down at Lovino's injured arm.

"How could you tell it was broken?" Antonio asked curiously.

"I heard the bone break when that idiot fell on top of him," Gilbert shrugged. "Sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to carry you this time, Lovino. I'm not exactly used to having normal strength."

"Good, you could use a dose of reality," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Aw, I know you love me, Lovino," Gilbert smirked. "The curse did break, after all."

"Shut up," Lovino scoffed, swiftly standing up and cradling his injured arm.

"Maybe after we get Lovino taken care of, you should go to Ludwig," Antonio offered and Gilbert's smile dropped, though he didn't look unhappy.

"Gott, West'll probably kill me or something for ditching him for so long," Gilbert laughed, slowly standing up. "It sucks he'll be grown up and I haven't changed at all."

"I'm sure you can learn to deal with it," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"You're so cheerful," Gilbert smirked, kissing Lovino swiftly before continuing to walk along.

"Come on, hero," Lovino looked to Alfred as he left the room.

"Well, on the bright side," Alfred sighed. "If it weren't for me, the curse probably wouldn't have ended."

"Whatever makes your day brighter, sunshine," Gilbert laughed.

* * *

It was a couple hours later, still around early morning, when Lovino had gotten his cast and he and Gilbert were now standing in front of the house Gilbert used to live in. Alfred had said that he was going to get Feliciano, much to Lovino's relief, and the others that were in the house all darted out to go to their families for reunions, now that they could finally move. Lovino knew that they would all be enrolled into the school, since none of them had finished their Senior years yet.

The two stood in front of the front door of the Beilschmidt house, Gilbert looking as if he was thinking hard about something.

"If you don't knock soon, you'll die of old age," Lovino stated.

"I'm just thinking," Gilbert shrugged. "What if he's not up yet? Or we moved? Or-"

"Stop being a fucking wuss and ring the doorbell," Lovino snapped. "Even I wasn't this scared when I went into your mansion."

"Ja, but-"

"What are you two doing in front of my house?" a deep voice asked and Lovino mentally punched himself. He still had a deep-rooted hatred for Ludwig, despite Gilbert being related to him. "Lovino?"

"Yeah, potato bastard," Lovino snapped, turning towards him. He had on a dark tank-top and camouflage colored pants. He looked as if he had just been running or doing some kind of workout. "It's not like I want to see you or anything, so don't get the wrong idea."

"Who is he?" Ludwig asked curiously and Gilbert turned around to look at him.

"You have got to be shitting me," Gilbert's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of his younger brother. Lovino probably would have been surprised if he left his brother and came back to a sight like that one.

"Gilbert?" Ludwig slowly stepped towards him, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "Is that you?"

"Ja," Gilbert smiled. "Sorry I've been gone for so long, West."

"What the hell happened to you?" Ludwig asked and Lovino smirked. Apparently, Gilbert used to be blonde with blue eyes like his brother, so the curse had to have changed Gilbert's appearance. It hadn't turned back to normal, oddly enough, but Gilbert didn't seem to mind.

"I should ask you the same question," Gilbert laughed, looking over Ludwig. "What the hell did puberty do to you?"

"You have not seen me in five years, of course I would change, bruder," Ludwig stated.

"I didn't," Gilbert smirked before pulling Ludwig into a hug. Gilbert started laughing as Ludwig pushed away and Lovino just stayed to the side. "It's a really long, awesome story that I'll tell you about later, don't worry."

"Lovi!" Feliciano's voice made Lovino jump and he was soon pulled into a tight hug by his own little brother and Lovino found that he didn't even have to fight not to roll his eyes. For once, a hug from Feliciano was just what he needed.

"Yes, I'm back," Lovino sighed. "Now get off of me."

"I heard about what happened from Alfred," Feliciano said with wide eyes, pulling back. "If I had known that it was all like Beauty and the Beast, I would have been a lot less scared of him and maybe a lot nicer!"

"I figured it out pretty quickly and I still wasn't nice to him," Lovino smirked, glancing at the two German brothers. Ludwig still looked rather shocked while Gilbert started to grow more and more excited as time went on.

"What's with the cast on your arm, fratello?" Feliciano tilted his head to the side.

"Alfred's fat ass fell on top of me," Lovino muttered.

"Wow, Alfredo didn't say anything about that," Feliciano muttered.

"I wonder why," Lovino said sarcastically.

"I don't know either," Feliciano chimed, fully unaware of the sarcasm.

"Well, now that everyone's had their happy ending," Lovino sighed, "I'm going to sleep at home."

"What? You're leaving already?" Gilbert pouted.

"Si," Lovino nodded. "I'll see you in school when you decide you finally want to graduate after five years."

"So you actually want me to go to school with you?" Gilbert smirked. "How romantic."

"Whatever," Lovino yawned, turning around to start walking back to his apartment he had actually been missing. "Feliciano, come with me."

"Si!" Feliciano chimed. "Bye, Ludwig!"

"Goodbye, Feli," Ludwig stated.

"So that's the guy I've been hearing you've fallen in love with," Gilbert said with a teasing voice.

"So, if you broke the curse, that means you must be in love with Gilbert, right?" Feliciano asked with expecting eyes.

"I-I guess, yeah…" Lovino muttered, looking down at the ground.

"That's so great, Lovi!" Feliciano said happily. "It's so romantic, too!"

"Whatever you say," Lovino stated.

* * *

And so the tale as old as time continues on. It may not always be about looks, but will always end in love. A monster turns into a man, true love breaks a curse…even though a story may change slightly, the ending will always remain the same. Because that's just how fucking cheesy life is.

* * *

**And I'm finished! At first, I thought this would last two chapters, but the first half was so short, I've decided to end it with this! It may not be the Beauty and the Beast ending, but I had to be creative, now didn't I? And Gilbert is human! Happy days!**

**Also, Joni Smith! I finally finished your one-shot! It's called "Secret Santa" and I would love for you to check it out and tell me what you think!**

**To everyone else, I love all of you, if you favorited, followed, reviewed, or even just read, you're all amazing! This may not be a very popular pairing, but I obtained a fairly impressive following, and it's all thanks to you guys!**

**Please review, if you have the time.**

**And I do not own Hetalia. I'm pretty sure I never will.**


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